Information on the programme, including the screening tests, commissioning, quality assurance, education and training.

Information on the programme, including commissioning, quality assurance, education and training.

Data report for fetal anomaly screening, infectious diseases in pregnancy screening and sickle cell and thalassaemia screening 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020.

Workplace daily contact testing sites will be expanded to a total of 2,000 sites across the country, with prisons, waste collection and defence among the critical sectors prioritised for the newest sites. This expansion follows last week’s initial announcement of 800 sites for the food industry, transport workers, Border Force staff, frontline police and fire services.

Daily contact testing using rapid lateral flow tests will enable eligible workers who have received alerts from the NHS Covid 19 app or have been called by NHS Test and Trace and told they are a contact and to isolate, to continue working if they test negative each day.

Research carried out by the University of Oxford between April and June 2021 and supported by the Department of Health and Social Care found that in schools, daily contact testing was just as effective at controlling transmission as the current 10-day self-isolation policy. This pioneering work puts the UK at the forefront of scientific research.

Vaccines continue to be the best form of defence against the virus, and are highly effective at reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death. So the government is continuing to encourage everyone to get fully vaccinated – and will work with employers participating in daily contact testing to encourage all their employees to get the vaccine.

Organisations are being contacted by NHS Test and Trace so they can mobilise sites this week to ensure critical workers can continue their vital roles safely. Employers and workers taking part in Daily Contact Testing will be provided with guidance about the protocols they must follow.

In addition to critical staff working in prisons, defence and waste collection, people working in energy, pharmaceuticals, telecoms, chemicals, communications, water, space, fish, veterinary medicine and HMRC will also be prioritised for the 1,200 new daily contact testing sites.

Lord Chancellor, Robert Buckland QC MP, said:

Daily testing will allow our frontline officers – who have been so dedicated and hardworking throughout the pandemic – to continue their essential work rehabilitating offenders and protecting the public.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said:

Critical workers up and down the country have repeatedly stepped up to the challenge of making sure our key services are delivered and communities are supported.

We all owe them a huge debt of gratitude and will continue to support them to do their jobs safely and securely. This expansion of the daily contact testing centres is vital and hugely welcome.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Our Armed Forces have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic, ensuring operations and training at home and abroad continue while at the same time providing round the clock support to the nation’s response to Covid.

Expanding the daily contact testing scheme is hugely welcome, allowing our personnel to continue that vital work across the UK and abroad.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

Whether it’s prison guards reporting for duty, waste collectors keeping our streets clean or workers in our energy sector keeping the lights on, critical workers have been there for us at every stage of this global pandemic.

As we learn to live with the virus, we will keep doing everything in our power to break chains of transmission and stop this virus in its tracks. Daily contact testing will play a vital role in this, helping minimise the potential for disruption caused by rising cases, while keeping staff protected.

Self-isolation remains an essential tool for suppressing the transmission of the virus.

People who have been identified as contacts are at least five times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than other members of the public. Vaccines are highly effective at reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death, and we are encouraging everyone to continue to get the vaccine to enable us to tackle the virus.

• NHS Test and Trace is working quickly with different sites to supply tests and set up daily contact testing sites.

Following the merger of the former Airforce Department, Army Department and Admiralty Constabularies on 1 October 1971, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the MDP.

For half a century, the MDP has had a constant presence at many defence sites and establishments, including HM Naval Base Portsmouth. However, there undoubtedly remains some lack of awareness and understanding on the role of the force, which has previously been described as one of the department’s ‘best kept secrets.’

Over the coming weeks, during the lead up to the anniversary on 1 October, the MDP will be looking back, looking ahead and celebrating and showcasing the present force, which is marketed as ‘a force with a difference.’

So, what is different about the MDP and how does its work support the Defence purpose and national security?

MDP explained

Who?

What?

The Departmental Mandate and Statement of Requirement for the MDP defines its purpose within defence and the policing capabilities the force maintains, 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 stakeholders, customers and local communities
• deploying people and resources effectively and efficiently and to national policing standards

How?

As an enabling organisation within the Defence Operating Model, through provision of operational policing and protective security services, the MDP enables delivery of the following defence tasks:

• Defence, security and resilience of the UK and its overseas territories
• Nuclear deterrence and the defence nuclear enterprise
• Strategic intelligence and the global defence network
• Overseas defence activity
• Promote UK prosperity and civil society

In support, the MDP’s primary policing outputs are focused on:

• Nuclear Policing: provision of specialist armed policing services that contribute to the protection of the UK’s Strategic Nuclear Deterrent
• Territorial Policing: provision of specialist armed policing services that contribute to the protection of defence and UK Critical National Infrastructure sites, people and assets
• National Counter Terrorist Response: contribution towards the UK’s national armed policing response to major incidents
• Crime and Intelligence: collation and dissemination of criminal and security intelligence and, investigation and detection of fraud, corruption, and the theft of, or criminal damage to, Defence equipment and assets

Where?

Located at sites across the UK, including:

• Clyde, Portsmouth and Devonport naval bases
• Atomic Weapons Establishment sites in Aldermaston and Burghfield
• Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)
• Defence HQ in Whitehall
• US Visiting Forces’ bases
• Defence munitions establishments and various other Defence sites

Take a look at MDP station locations.

Did you know?

• Authorised Firearms Officer roles make up the majority of posts in the MDP, with most officers carrying firearms in the daily course of their duties. All new recruits are trained to be AFOs from the beginning of their careers with the MDP.

• The primary focus of the MDP’s work is armed security and the protection of critical defence sites and assets but, there is much more that they do. This includes a range of specialisms from dog handling to marine policing, from investigating crime to public order, from community policing to protester removal.

• The MDP has the largest marine policing capability and second largest police dog capability in the UK.

• Although the MDP is not a Home Office police force, officers work closely with their colleagues in police forces across the UK (including Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland). They can also provide mutual aid and specialist policing support to other forces. For example, the MDP recently supported the policing operation for the G7 Leaders’ Summit.

• Counter terrorism policing is an important part of the MDP’s role. The Force can, and has 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. The MDP also delivers and supports national counter terrorist policing initiatives, such as Project Servator, Prevent and Action Counters Terrorism (ACT).

• The MDP is not ‘military police’. Unlike Service Police colleagues, with whom the MDP work closely, their officers’ jurisdiction can extend outside the Defence estate, and MDP officers have full powers and privileges of constables, identical to other civil police officers in the UK.

What’s next?

This snapshot will be followed by a closer look at force capabilities and history, with personal stories and reflections from the people of the MDP, on the MDP’s Facebook and Twitter pages: search #MDP50.

Filming is planned to take place with the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) during the coming weeks and we look forward to sharing with you further insight on life in the MDP.

The MDP’s next recruitment campaign will open for applications in October. If you’re looking to join MDP, you can register your interest to apply now, so that pre-screening can begin. Visit mod.police.uk for more information.

Coming soon: Chief Constable Andy Adams speaks on the role of the modern MDP, the challenges that the force faces and future plans.

Read more:

A brief history of the Ministry of Defence Police | July 2021 | Medium
Contact MDP
New! MDP Recruitment Website
Ministry of Defence Police on GOV.UK
MDP Annual Business Plan 2020 and Corporate Plan 2020-25
Talk Through: the magazine of the Ministry of Defence Police