The Anti-Terrorist Branch (originally known as the Bomb Squad) was formed in January 1971 to deal with the
Angry Brigade. During the 1970s it assisted in the campaign against the
IRA, alongside
Special Branch and the
Security Service (MI5). In 2005, the branch had 345 officers attached to it, with funding for another 500 being sought. The
Metropolitan Police Commissioner,
Ian Blair, announced later that year that some of the specialist operations units were to be "re-aligned". In 2006 the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Special Branch were merged, creating a new unit, the
Counter Terrorism Command, or SO15. ==Notes==