Operation Kratos was a set of tactics developed by London's Metropolitan Police Service for dealing with suspected suicide bombers, most notably firing shots to the head without warning.
The tactics were developed shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks, based in part on consultation with Israeli and Sri Lankan law enforcement agencies on how to deal with suicide bombers.
[1] A Metropolitan Police team led by Barbara Wilding, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations, visited Israel, Sri Lanka and Russia, to learn from their experience of suicide attacks.
Key findings were: New tactics were developed in the first half of 2002 by Wilding and Sir David Veness, Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations.
[2][3][4] Operation Kratos is the collective name for a range of anti-terrorist tactics, specifically: These plans deal with identifying and confronting suicide attackers.
In extreme situations, the policy recommends that covert police officers fire on suspected suicide attackers without warning, aiming multiple shots at the brain stem to minimise the risk of detonation of a bomb.
[2][5] The Metropolitan Police and other forces also issue Kratos officers with hollow-point bullets, but this has not been incorporated into national guidance.
[2] The Met had previously used an on-site Designated Senior Officer in policing the Notting Hill Carnival, to decide whether to employ baton rounds should a riot develop, but the situation never arose.
[2] After the London Tube and Bus bombings of 7 July 2005, an internal email was sent to specialised police units reminding them of the secret tactics for dealing with suicide bombers.
In the evening after the attempted 21 July 2005 London bombings, Specialist Firearms Officers supporting the search for the bombers were issued with hollow-point bullets.