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Authorised firearms officer

Information about the role of an authorised firearms officer, including the role purpose, key responsibilities and the skills required.

About the role

An authorised firearms officer is a firearms position within the operational support sector of policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles.

Role purpose

An authorised firearms officer (AFO) is a police officer who has been selected, trained, accredited and authorised by a chief officer to carry a firearm operationally.

Please note that this profile is intended to provide a generic baseline of various AFO roles, for example:

  •  rifle officer
  • specialist firearms officer
  • armed response vehicle officer

Key responsibilities

Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.

  • Responding to conflict situations using a range of tactical options, assessing the threat to determine a proportionate response in line with legislation, policy and guidance.
  • Assessing the immediacy and proximity of threat to make operational decisions for the protection of life.
  • Applying the national decision model (NDM) to manage their response to a situation in a reasonable and proportionate way.
  • Justifying the proportionate and lawful use of force in line with legal accountabilities.
  • Understanding their role within the context of the wider police operation to support the achievement of operational strategies and priorities for action.
  • Gathering and handling information and intelligence from a variety of sources, to assess threat in line with legislation, policies and guidance to take the appropriate action.
  • Providing public reassurance when deployed within communities, responding quickly to emerging threats and thereby keeping the public safe.
  • Providing medical aid commensurate with training as required to preserve life.

Competencies, values and core skills

The competency and values framework (CVF) provides clear expectations for everyone working in policing. It describes the behaviours required by police officers and staff to be effective in their roles and uphold the Code of Ethics for policing.

Competencies

The CVF has six competencies, which are split into levels. These levels can be used flexibly to allow for a better fit with frontline and non-frontline policing roles, and at different levels of seniority. This ensures that there is consistency throughout all the policing professional profiles. Some roles may contain different CVF levels due to the specialist nature of the role.  Those working at higher levels should also fulfil the requirements of the lower levels.

This role should be operating at or working towards the following competencies.

Values

The CVF has three values that apply to everyone in policing, regardless of their role or seniority.

Core skills

All roles in policing have nine core skills in common. These are split into levels that represent the different levels of policing. This role should be operating at or working towards the following core skills.

Education, qualifications and experience

Previous education, qualifications and experience

  • Trained to the national common standard for all specific AFO roles in which they are operationally deployable.
  • Passed relevant medical and fitness tests (annual requirement).

Continuing professional development

Continuing professional development (CPD) enables everyone in policing to develop and gain recognition for their professional skills, knowledge and competence. CPD ensures that we continue to provide high-quality policing to keep the public safe and help to drive career aspirations. Discussion of CPD is usually included as part of professional development review (PDR) conversations.

Learning and accreditation

  • Undertake mandatory refresher training in all modules and units of the national police firearms training curriculum (NPFTC) in accordance with, or relevant to the role.
  • Undertake additional mandatory refresher training as determined by your force or agency.
  • Annually meet health and fitness standards relevant to the role.
  • Complete all annual and mandatory training.
  • Any exemptions to learning and accreditation requirements are at chief constable discretion, in line with the local force policy.
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