So some people were curious when I mention the Sapphire Team the other day. And wondered if all the police teams were named after precious stones (no).
There are various different ways Teams are named. I'm in a MIT - Murder Investigation Team. Simple.
Sapphire are the rape and serious sexual assault/violence team. Sometimes we work closely with them, as they aren't really equipped to deal with serial offenders, so we help out. We're all under the umbrella of SCD (Specialist Crime Directorate), murder, rapes, armed robberies and other serious crimes.
It's rare for teams to spring up for certain operations - but it does happen if the operation is ongoing. Sapphire, Trident and Trafalgar are all ongoing investigations - Trident is the black-on-black gun crime team, Trafalgar are the non-fatal gun crime and gangs team. They got their names the same way as everyone else, but then the Op name became the Team name.
More often operations spring up, are solved or shelved, then no one remembers them a few years down the line.
The way we decide on names for them is by consulting The Book. Yes, there really is a big book in a room in Scotland Yard with thousands of words in it. You pick the next one on the list for your operation (I say 'you', meaning any officer running an op in the UK. This is to avoid there being two ops running with the same name, anywhere in the country). You are allowed to refuse the name you're given if it seem really inappropriate. For instance, you wouldn't want an operation investigating paedophiles called 'Operation Teddybear'. Otherwise, you're stuck with it. Even if you're running a brutal, bloodthirsty murder investigation and the entire team sniggers every time you discuss 'Operation Poodle'. Yeah.
Of course, if you're running a pro-active operation (which I'm very rarely involved in), then you DO get to choose a name, because we want the public to remember it. So the knife-amnesty/anti-knife crime Op is Operation Blunt. The one to remove money from organised crime is 'Operation Payback'.
All the words are chosen to be as anodyne as possible. So plant names, animal names, regions, random words, towns, villages - all are fair game.
My current Ops are Ohio and Harbour (two as yet unsolved murders). Both fairly good names - easy to spell, for a start! I hate it when you get a really stupid name and end up having to type it over and over.)
So, there you go. Feel free to ask any other questions. Although obviously don't ask me how to commit and/or escape convictions for crimes.
25 comments:
They got there names
Their. (I know it was only a typo.)
Bloody HELL. Next time you can read my blog before I hit the 'publish' button. I'm changing that right now. I may be an uneducated oaf but I don't need to prove it on the internet, right?
It's a problem with touch typing. Our fingers have thoughts of their own.
...Will you make those smoothies again? There are still bananas.
My fingers probably have more thoughts than my brain.
I will make them again, if you can help me persuade Sherlock not to blow down his straw when he's supposed to be drinking it, causing an explosion of banana-honey-ice-cream-milk which makes me think any moment there will be a dog invasion to clean it up.
And is he STILL in his room writing his report to John about massive rabbits? I've never known him be this quiet for this long. It makes me slightly nervous, if I'm honest.
And I'm putting coffee in mine today. I need it. A cup of cold coffee, a banana, some milk - delicious. There used to be a little tiny Cafe down Brick Lane that made them years ago. Divine.
Yes, he's very serious about this. Although he did stop briefly to IM me with potential inappropriate team names after he read your blog. Can I have coffee in mine too?
IM you? Although if it's about inappropriate names I don't suppose I want to know.
Um...ask John about the coffee. I don't know. Do you get hyper on caffeine? Sherlock definitely can't. We nearly had to scrape him off the ceiling last time he drank my coffee. Although I suppose I could make it a lot weaker.
Instant message. It's...like texting for your computer. Sort of. You do know how to text, right? I can set it up on your laptop if you like. You'd probably want AIM unless you already have a gmail account.
Re: inappropriate team names - you do not want to know.
And I do not get 'hyper'.
As you're not here to see it, I must tell you I'm rolling my eyes. Yes, I can text. And you can show me how it works on your computer, and I'll see if I want it. It does sound sort of useful.
I didn't mean hyper like...well, Sherlock. I meant 'If you don't sleep tonight before your classes tomorrow because I've fed you caffeine John will kill me.' so don't take offence. It's self-preservation on my part.
I'm almost 13! I think I'm capable of choosing my own beverages and taking the consequences, thank you. Anyway, it's still hours till bedtime.
I'll be down in a minute. I've got a draft of Sherlock's rabbit report too if you want to see.
(It's all right, let him have it. Even if the worst happens, one sleepless night won't kill him.)
Okay - just don't blame me when you start a caffeine habit like mine and can't function without a near-permanent supply of caffeine in your veins. I'm trying to save you, y'know. I've weaned myself off the far worse addictions I've had and am happy on the caffeine. You're just starting out...
And a draft?? I...would you or he like to learn how to write up crime reports? Because I've got lots for you to practice on. Maybe a quick lesson on CPS paperwork? HR chits for overtime, time off, TOIL, sick, etc.? There are a million opportunities out there for people who like writing reports.
I wouldn't trust him to write up anything you have to turn in at work. Not without bribery, at least. Giant rabbits are a pretty big incentive.
I only want to try it! I've never had coffee with bananas. Can I have that stuff you're putting in John's too?
Maybe I should introduce Giant Rabbits as an incentive to my team...
And yes, you can have coffee. You have to ask John about the other stuff. Perhaps you can taste his. You might not even like it. He might not like it. If you do like it he may not like me.
He gets paid to make those sorts of decisions for you boys, I don't.
I'll take one. Giant rabbit, that is.
If you weren't a member of my team I might be tempted to make an observation on rabbits - giant, rampant and otherwise...
But I won't. It would be inappropriate. And Danger already has his 'disapproving' face on.
Yeah, cause you never say anything like that normally.
Exactly. Model Detective Inspector, me. Embracing the politically correct world we live in.
Can you hear me laughing from there? I bet you can.
Laughter...yup, I can hear that. And what's that? Volunteering to do my next night shifts, well thank you! I'm sure Danger will appreciate that.
In exchange for a license to mock? What the hell. It's not like I've got anything else on. And if you're planning to threaten me with anything worse, I bet your boyfriend~ will have something to say about it.
I didn't hear an exchange mentioned. I thought you were just doing it out of the goodness of your heart. Mocking a senior officer is a serious offence.
I've got to entertain myself somehow through those long nights when you're off playing with your giant rabbit.
I don't need a rabbit. Perfectly happy playing with my Doctor.
I cannot breathe. I absolutely cannot breathe and I entirely blame Sally for introducing innuendo into the conversation and then making a comment Lestrade playing with his giant rabbit. I'm seriously considering hyperventilation I'm laughing so hard.
You see, one of my friends and I have an ongoing email war that involves emailing each other pictures of certain gizmos, gadgets and devices without titles or explanations in the hopes that the other cannot guess their intended function. (I'm winning thus far. I think it's the physics teacher in me. I'm good at spatial relations.) And the comment relaunched one of those images in my head in blazing technicolor.
Still laughing here.
I love you guys.
Tinkerty-tonk,
Bronwyn
Oh, thanks for the detailed explanation!
Maybe it'll come in handy when I watch Hot Fuzz. :D
(Don't get too drunk, Mycroft!)
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