The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) is the largest regional police collaboration in the country, comprising an experienced and skilled team working innovatively together on behalf of the five police forces of the East Midlands to tackle the most violent, serious and organised criminals both on the ground and online.

Our collaboration includes a number of capabilities and units dedicated to tackling homicide and serious violence, organised crime, and terrorism and extremism. We also provide the forensic services for the region and undertake case and thematic reviews in a bid to bring justice in unsolved crimes, identify good practise and improve performance.

Organised crime

Our Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) was the country’s flagship collaboration set up in the early 2000s to provide specialist tactics against serious and organised criminals on behalf of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire police forces. Over the years, our capabilities have grown to incorporate intelligence and investigative functions, paving the way for similar collaborations across England and Wales.

Along with our intelligence and operations syndicates, we now have teams focussed on financial crime and asset recovery, prisons intelligence, cyber crime, fraud, and digital and technical services. These all work in the pursuit of organised crime groups involved in drugs and firearms supply, organised immigration crime, human trafficking and exploitation (such as county lines and child sexual exploitation), money laundering, prison corruption and cyber-enabled and cyber-dependant crime. 

Terrorism

EMSOU is also home to Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands (CTPEM), dedicated to tackling and monitoring the threat of terrorism in the region, and is part of the national Counter Terrorism Policing network.

Major Crime

Our Major Crime Unit works as a regional team to investigate suspicious deaths, complex cases and other serious crimes taking place in the East Midlands.

Forensic Services

This regional team provides forensic services to our East Midlands police forces. Working in conjunction with Cellmark, our scientists and highly trained police staff examine fingerprints, DNA, bone fragments, blood samples and more in a bid to identify people and solve crime, providing invaluable evidence and expert reports to secure convictions and jail terms.

Regional Review

Established in 2010, this team conducts reviews of major inquiries, critical incidents and other identified investigations or themes. The team also assist Senior Investigating Officers (SIO) during live inquiries, providing real-time support in concluding an investigation.

Find out more

Visit our website to find out more about what we do at EMSOU.