Flying Squad

This article is about the British police unit. For the Italian police unit, see Reparto volanti. For the documentary television series broadcast, see Flying Squad (TV series). For other uses, see The Flying Squad (disambiguation).

Flying Squad
Active1918 – Present
CountryUnited Kingdom
AgencyMetropolitan Police Service
TypeDetective Unit
Part ofCentral Specialist Crime

The Flying Squad is part of Central Specialist Crime within the Metropolitan Police. It has also previously been known as the Robbery Squad (since its primary purpose is to investigate robberies), Specialist Crime Directorate 7, SC&O7 and SO7. It is nicknamed The Sweeney, an abbreviation of the Cockney rhyming slang "Sweeney Todd" (rhyming "squad" with "todd"), or the Heavy Mob. The Flying Squad are an elite team of covert officers, who specialise in armed surveillance and ambush. The Squad’s primary purpose is the investigation of Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime (SOAC) concerning the robbery of cash in transit companies, banks and building societies. Perhaps the most dangerous part of the Squad's work today is the 'pavement ambush', where armed robbers are arrested in the act of committing a crime. The Squad are also responsible for providing the Metropolitan Police’s on-call response to kidnaps in action in London.

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