Military Aid to the Civil Power

Military Aid to the Civil Power (MACP) is a phrase referring to the use of the armed forces to assist the police in maintaining law and order. It is used in many countries, particularly the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom

MACP is one of the fundamental Military Tasks of the British Army. As with all deployments of the armed forces, its use must be specifically authorised by a defence minister. It is always applied at the request of, and under control of, the police. The legal basis is the common law duty of every citizen to provide reasonable support to the police should they request it.

Examples of Military Aid to the Civil Power include:

• Security forces in Northern Ireland
• Army patrols around Heathrow Airport and other sites in early 2003, in response to percieved terrorist threat
• The Special Air Service intervention in the Iranian Embassy Siege[?]

See Also

• Military Aid to the Civil Community