Relief surged through him. Maybe, he thought, some days you should count your blessings — however few and far between they were.
Glossary
ANPR — Automatic Number Plate Recognition. Roadside or mobile cameras that automatically capture the registration number of all cars that pass. It can be used to historically track which cars went past a certain camera, and can also trigger alerts for cars which are stolen, have no insurance or have an alert attached to them.
CAD — Computer Aided Dispatch. The system where all calls from the public are logged and, if they require police attendance, the live time record of who is attending, how it is developing and what the outcome is.
CID — Criminal Investigation Department. Usually refers to the divisional detectives rather than the specialist squads.
CIM — Critical Incident Manager. A chief inspector who has responsibility for the response and management of all critical incidents within the force area during their tour of duty.
CSI — Was SOCO. Crime Scene Investigators (Scenes of Crime Officers). They are the people who attend crime scenes to search for fingerprints, DNA samples etc.
EOD — Explosives Ordinance Disposal. Specialist Military bomb disposal teams.
FLUM — Flash Unsolicited Message. A direct short message sent between computer screens, mainly in the control room, to alert other controllers or supervisors to either a significant incident or an important update on an ongoing incident. It flashes up, alerting the recipient to its content immediately.
HOLMES — Home Office Large Major Enquiry System. The national computer database used on all murders. It provides a repository of all messages, actions, decisions and statements, allowing the analysis of intelligence and the tracking and auditing of the whole enquiry. Can enable enquiries to be linked across force areas where necessary.
HTCU — High Tech Crime Unit. Now renamed Digital Forensics. The body which examines and investigates computers and other digital advisors. Part of SCC.
IFA — Independent Financial Advisor.
IMEI code — A fifteen-digit number is used by a mobile networks to identify valid devices and therefore can be used for stopping a stolen phone from accessing that network or to trace phones used with any SIM card
LST — Local Support Team. The standing unit of officers who provide public order, search and low-level surveillance tactics on a division.
Match Commander — The senior officer at the football stadium who has operational command of the police working within and in the vicinity of the stadium.
MO — Modus Operandi (method of operation). The manner by which the offender has committed the offence. Often this can reveal unique features which allow crimes to be linked or suspects to be identified.
NaCTSO — National Counter Terrorism Security Office. A national police unit that leads on the fight against terrorism.
NASA — National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The US Space Agency.
NPAS 15 — The call sign for the helicopter that provides air support to Sussex Police.
NPT — Neighbourhood Policing Team. A team of officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who are dedicated to a particular geographical area, primarily to reduce crime and improve people’s feelings of safety.
OSCAR1 — The call sign of the Force Control Duty Inspector, who has oversight and command of all critical incidents in the initial stages.
PM — Postmortem.
QR Code — A form of barcode which, when scanned, diverts the reading device being used to a website.
RPU — Roads Policing Unit. The name for the Traffic Division.
RTC — Road Traffic Collision (commonly known as an ‘accident’ by the public, but this term is not used as it implies no one is at fault when usually someone is).
RV Point — Rendezvous Point. The designated location where emergency services meet prior to deploying to the scene of a crime or major incident. Used when it would be too dangerous or unwieldy for everyone to arrive at the scene at the same time in an uncoordinated way.
SECAMB — South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Section 17 PACE Powers — A power of entry under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 which allows officers to enter premises without a warrant to make an arrest, to save life or limb, or to prevent serious damage to property.
SIO — Senior Investigating Officer. Usually a Detective Chief Inspector who is in overall charge of the investigation of a major crime such as murder, kidnap or rape.
Slang and Phrases
All-ports alert — A nationwide alert for all air and seaports to be on the lookout for a particular person, vehicle etc.
Bosher — The heavy metal handheld ram used to force open doors and allow officers to enter a locked premises or room swiftly and with the advantage of surprise.
Burner phone — Slang for a pay-as-you-go mobile phone, which is used once then disposed of to avoid the user being traced.
Golden hour — The first hour after a crime has been committed or reported, when the best chances of seizing evidence and/or identifying witnesses exist.
HOT Principle — An acronym to assist in assessing whether a suspect package is likely to be an explosive device:
Hidden: Is it obviously hidden? Has someone deliberately tried to conceal it?
Obvious: Is it obviously out of place and out of context for its environment? Are there any wires, switches, batteries or components visible?
Typical: Is it typical of an item usually seen in the environment?
Q word/Q day — Short for ‘quiet’. Emergency services personnel never say the word ‘quiet’, as it invariably is a bad omen, causing chaos to reign!
Chart of Police Ranks
Police ranks are consistent across all disciplines and the addition of prefixes such as ‘detective’ (e.g. detective constable) does not affect seniority relative to others of the same rank (e.g. police constable).
