About us
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) is dedicated to tackling serious organised crime and the terrorism threat across the eastern region.
Created in 2010, ERSOU is funded by the seven police forces that make up the eastern region, with Bedfordshire Police being the lead force. We’re made up of both police officers and staff from across the region.
ERSOU has two main functions: regional organised crime unit (ROCU) and counter terrorism policing (CTP).
Regional organised crime unit
The aim of our ROCU is primarily to identify and disrupt organised criminals operating across the eastern region.
We are one of 10 ROCUs operating across England and Wales providing specialist capability to tackle the increasingly complex threat posed by organised crime.
Officers and staff in the unit tackle a range of crime – from child sexual exploitation and modern slavery to county drugs lines and cybercrime.
The unit also has an economic crime team which tackles offences such as fraud and money laundering, as well as using the latest Proceeds of Crime Act legislation to ensure crime never pays.
Counter terrorism policing
Our counter terrorism policing unit aims to manage the threat of terrorism across the eastern region, which is part of the counter terrorism policing national network.
The unit has officers covering all four areas of the Government’s CONTEST strategy – Protect, Prepare, Prevent, and Pursue.
We also have a substantial presence at the various ports across the region, including London Stansted Airport and London Luton Airport.
Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre
We also work in partnership with the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre (ECRC). This is part of a national network of centres, established by the Home Office to help businesses, charities and public sector organisations tackle the rising threat of cyber-attack.
Find out more on the ECRC website.
