Personal Protection Officer

A personal protection officer (PPO) is an officer of the Metropolitan Police Protection Command who is assigned for the personal protection of members of the British royal family, the prime minister, government ministers, ambassadors, visiting heads of state, and other individuals deemed to be at risk.[1][2][3]

Prior to a restructuring of the Metropolitan Police's armed protection commands between 2015 and 2017, protection of the royal family and protection of senior Government officials and diplomats was carried out by two separate commands, with PPOs assigned to individual royals for long periods and able to build up a close professional relationship. Following the merger of royal and diplomatic protection, individual PPOs rotate through a pool and may protect different individuals on different days.[3]

Incidents

During the 2017 Westminster attack, an unnamed PPO providing protection to then Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon shot and killed the attacker Khalid Masood.[4]

References

Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command. H.M. Stationery Office. 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 1 May 2019. ... in the protection of Royalty, whether in the uniformed branch guarding premises, or as a personal protection officer, has...
Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair Publishing Company. 1992. p. 251. Retrieved 1 May 2019. Royal visits — royal walkabouts, especially — are worrisome for the queen's personal protection officer. In the early years, there was little to fear; Elizabeth put a scarf over her head, slipped behind the wheel of her Rover, and...
Jobson, Robert (11 December 2017). "Revealed: The Queen's concern at security shake-up for Royal family". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
Rayner, Gordon (23 March 2017). "London attack: Cabinet minister's bodyguard shot Westminster terrorist". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 May 2019.

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[Parliamentary_Papers,_House_of_Commons_and_Command_1982_p._7-1] Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command. H.M. Stationery Office. 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 1 May 2019. ... in the protection of Royalty, whether in the uniformed branch guarding premises, or as a personal protection officer, has...

[Vanity_Fair_1992_p._251-2] Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair Publishing Company. 1992. p. 251. Retrieved 1 May 2019. Royal visits — royal walkabouts, especially — are worrisome for the queen's personal protection officer. In the early years, there was little to fear; Elizabeth put a scarf over her head, slipped behind the wheel of her Rover, and...

[EveningStandard-3] Jobson, Robert (11 December 2017). "Revealed: The Queen's concern at security shake-up for Royal family". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 May 2019.

[Telegraph1-4] Rayner, Gordon (23 March 2017). "London attack: Cabinet minister's bodyguard shot Westminster terrorist". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 May 2019.