Semi off topic question
 

I've been trying to find out who the Official guards are at various national embasseys.

German
BPOL (Bundspolizei)

Russia
FSB (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti)

America
MSG (Marine Security Guard)

France
GD (National Gendarmerie)???? ((I THINK))

United Kingdom
????

Can anyone verify France and tell me who guards UK Embassys?

Re: Semi off topic question
 

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/.../t-341622.html

Straightdope is always a good source.

France: Gendarmes



-They kept som military duties. Like, say, in case of war protecting sensible sites. For this specialized units are equipped with light armament like light armored vehicles. They also protect official buildings, so actually you can see them in Paris (actually police doesn't wear kepis anymore in France, so now any "police" officer you'll see with a kepi is actually a gendarme). The french "republican guard" (ceremonial unit wearing fancy 19th century uniforms and riding horses) are gendarmes too. They also guard embassies on foreign soil, are in charge of training/ replace the local police during peacekeeping operations, etc...

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=7287,7776855

Gendarmes in Beirut

UK: Random police officers, PMCs and locals I guess?

http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow...ishembassy/12/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...h-embassy.html

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/w...cle3325185.ece

A security company that guards the British Embassy in Kabul is fighting the Afghan Government over an unpaid tax bill estimated to be as high as £50 million.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

Yeah, not having a lot of luck with the UK.
Seems they rely a lot on hired locals.
But there must (well not MUST ... but should probably) be some organization in the UK in charge of embassy security.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

If they ever get overrun there's always the SAS.

http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-u...ce/royal-navy/

Looks like Royal Marines DO NOT guard the US embassy. Nor are any other military units listed as such.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

I sent an email to the UK embassy asking what organization handles security at UK embassies. But I have no response so far and was probably put on some terrorist watchlist, oh well.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

There is no such organisation. They trust/rely on the international treaties protecting embassies.

They do hire Group 4 and so on as the doormen to inspect passes etc, or local equivalents.

For uniformed people stomping around outside the gates, they rely on the host nation to provide army or police/paramilitary. Those are who are supposed to keep angry mobs of locals away - does not always work. (The local authority may also use the troops/paramilitaries hanging round outside so as to ensure that their own people don't go there either, like in say the old Soviet Union).

If the place is deemed too be dangerous then they usually pack up and leave the country, perhaps leaving an attaché in some less-hated nation's embassy. They will then return when the domestic situation is more secure.

In some more militant areas, there may be a "technical" support team inside, but that is on an ad-hoc basis. The technicals might be contractors, or (less than likely) some of THEM... But if it is that insecure there - see pack up and leave above.

There is no uniformed service presence like the US marines at their embassies.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

That was more or less what I'd gathered.

Can't say as I've ever heard of "Group 4", and can't find much on the net, could I talk you out of a one or two sentence description of who/what Group 4 is?

I assume by (less then likly) "technical" support team you're implying say an SAS team?

Re: Semi off topic question
 

They now call themselves G4S in the ever diminishing circle of corporate re-branding that companies seem to be going through. Used to be Group 4 Security before. http://www.g4s.com/ - The same lot that had the contract for Olympics and the army had to be drafted in when that went pear-shaped.

"Technical" support is locally-hired armed guards, a term that apparently the UN invented for internal book-keeping PC purposes around the time of Somalia. (We cant admit to paying for thugs with AKs can we?). Its also why the armed pick-up trucks got the term transferred sideways from the armed guards who rode round in them when escorting UN convoys in-country.

The correct term for the Special Air Service Regiment in service parlance is 'Them'. (The ARRSEPedia sez so! ;)): http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/SAS

The ARmy Rumour SErvice (www.arrse.co.uk) is a useful place to go for information on the UK forces. Some searching on that forum might answer your question?. (Be warned that its totally non-PC and conversation is often in squaddie).

Cheers
Andy

Re: Semi off topic question
 

"Technical" refers to the "technical assistance" groups the UN hired in Somalia to guard its stuff.

Re: Semi off topic question
 

I noticed this wikki was written by someone with absolutely no bias whatsoever :re:

Re: Semi off topic question
 

I have not looked for my old regiment, but the entry probably will have something to say about our alleged attraction to the ovines ;) the guards regiments will be "wooden-toops", The rock apes (RAF regiment) will be the Short Range Desert Group, etc.

Yanking other regiments/services chains is SOP...

cheers
Andy

Re: Semi off topic question
 

I remember just about everyone was using Ugandans working for Triple Canopy in Baghdad. They even checked our IDs going into the chow hall. There was an old Scottish guy who used to come through one of our ECPs quite a bit, he was some kind of PSD funneling ammo and weapons from one FOB to the next for his company. Don't know why he didn't have enough clearance to not have to get searched every time. He used to chat it up with us while his car was getting searched, told stories about the Falklands. Anyway, he had a trunkload of loaded AK magazines and an Iraqi soldier was searching his car. The jundis had a bad habit of leaving their rifles laying around. For whatever reason, Jundi decided to start stripping rounds out of the mags onto the floor of the trunk. He was in a pissy mood that day anyway. Scottish guy looked at us, smiled, pulled the mag out of Jundi's AK, walked over to him, and started stripping out rounds. Jundi looked up and started screaming in Arabic, Scottish guy looked up smiling and said "aye, f*** yeh too, meht!" Jundi slammed the trunk shut, grabbed his mag, didn't even pick up his rounds, and stormed off.