Met Police Unit Anti Terrorist Branch (SO13)

Welcome to the world of SO13, the Met Police Anti Terrorist Branch. The quiet professionals who did not do drama, did not do headlines, and certainly did not do paperwork unless it was triple copied, stamped, countersigned and locked in a cabinet that only existed in one person’s head.

This artwork celebrates a unit that worked in the shadows long before the modern age made everyone an expert in security from the comfort of their sofa. SO13 were the serious end of policing, dealing with the sort of threats most officers never even heard about, and if they did, they were strongly encouraged to forget it immediately.

The objects in the composition tell the story. The ever present Nikon camera, the exhibits, the files, the report books, the evidence, and that unmistakable atmosphere of a job where everything mattered, right down to the last photograph and the last note scribbled at the bottom of a form.

Painted by retired Senior Police Artist Jan Szymczuk, also known as Boris, this piece is both a tribute and a knowing nod to the specialist units of New Scotland Yard who kept London safe without ever asking for applause.

This framed artwork is available in two sizes and can be ordered with either a black or white mount, depending on whether you like your policing classic, or your policing dramatic.

A perfect piece for former job people, collectors of Met history, and anyone who still believes a proper photograph and a proper notebook can solve half the world’s problems.