Who we are, what we do and how our work supports UK national security
We are…
the Ministry of Defence Police
more commonly known as the MOD Police or the MDP
a national civilian police force
serving the MOD, other UK Government departments and UK NATO partners based in the UK
a specialist police force
with most of our officers deployed as Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs), and significant numbers delivering marine policing and dog handling roles
All new recruits are trained to be AFOs from the beginning of their career with the MDP: trained to the national standards set by the College of Policing.
Our history
The MDP was first formed in 1971, following the merger of the former Air Force Department, Army Department and Admiralty Constabularies.
The MDP’s legal status and jurisdiction are defined in statute by the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987, as amended by the Anti-Terrorist Crime and Security Act 2001. Visit our GOV.UK guidance on MDP jurisdiction to find out more.
What we do
The Departmental Mandate and Statement of Requirement for the MDP defines our purpose within Defence and the tasks and policing capabilities that we maintain and deliver.
We PROTECT and REASSURE to ACHIEVE the MOD requirement by:
- delivering unique specialist policing to PROTECT sites, people and assets essential to Defence and national infrastructure
- providing a highly visible and proactive policing presence to REASSURE our customers and local communities
- deploying our people and resources in an effective and efficient way to ACHIEVE what we are required to deliver, to the highest operational standards
Counter terrorism policing is a major part of our role. We can, and have been, called upon to support the national policing response to major terrorist incidents, as part of the national Strategic Armed Policing Reserve and the MOD’s commitment to Operation Temperer.
Interested in finding out more about our purpose, priorities and objectives, take a look at our Corporate and Annual Business Plans on GOV.UK
Did you know?
- Although we’re not a Home Office Police Force, we do work closely with our colleagues in police forces across the UK (including Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland). We can also provide mutual aid and specialist policing support to other forces.
- We are not ‘military police’. Unlike our Service Police colleagues, with whom we also work closely, our officers’ jurisdiction can extend outside the Defence estate, and we have full powers and privileges of constables, identical to other civil police officers in the UK.
- The primary focus of our work is armed protection of critical Defence sites and assets but, there is much more that we do. This includes a range of specialisms from dog handling to marine policing, from investigating crime to public order, from Dynamic Entry to protester removal.
- Most MDP roles require officers to be trained to deploy with firearms and during initial training you must successfully complete the MDP firearms training course.
Whether you join as a new recruit or a new entrant from another police force, whatever your background, skills, or experience, you’ll receive outstanding training and every opportunity to specialise and further your career with us.
For the latest MDP news, check out our news page on GOV.UK and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Medium.
