Line of Duty season 6
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Understanding Line of Duty series 6 police jargon and acronyms

The police abbreviations come thick and fast

Line of Duty series 6 is finally here and the police jargon and acronyms – such as CHIS and DIR – come thick and fast in episode one.

While viewers have got used to hearing the likes of UCO – undercover officer – CHIS is a new one on us!

So what does it stand for? Covert human intelligence sources (of course!). CHIS gets more than a few mentions in this opening episode, as does DIR – digital interview recorder – and MIT – major incident team.

Here’s a list of all the acronyms and initialisms used in previous series of Line of Duty that will likely crop up again, so you don’t get lost when the jargon is rolling!

Kate and Joanne Line Of Duty series six?
CHIS and DIR are among the police terms in Line of Duty series six (Credit: BBC)

Line of Duty acronyms and initialisms – and what they mean!

AC-12 – Anti-Corruption Unit 12

ARU – Armed Response Unit

ARV – Armed Response Vehicle

B&E – Breaking and entering

Blue-on-blue (incident) – The accidental shooting or injury of a police officer by a fellow police officer

CID – Criminal Investigation Department

CIS – Crime Information System

CPS – Crown Prosecution Service

D&D – Drunk and Disorderly

DIR – Digital Interview Recorder

DPS – Directorate of Professional Standards

DVU – Domestic Violence Unit

GBH – Grievous Bodily Harm

IC – Identification Codes

IC9 – Unknown

ID – Identification

IRTC – Injury Road Traffic Collision

IRV – Incident Response Vehicle Job – A crime, especially a robbery

LEO – Local Enforcement Officer

LIO – Local Intelligence Officer

MIT – Major incident team

NCPA – No Cause for Police Action

NCS – National Crime Squad

NDIU – National Drugs Intelligence Unit

NOK – Next Of Kin

Stephen Graham kept us all guessing as undercover cop John Corbett in series five (Credit: BBC One)
John Corbett [Stephen Graham] went undercover in a UCO in series five (Credit: BBC One)

OCG – Organised Crime Group

OBBO – Observation

OP – Observation Point

PCSO – Police Community Support Officer

RCU – Road Crime Unit

Reg 15 – A regulation 15 notice advises an officer that a complaint has been made against them

RTA – Road Traffic Accident

RTC – Road Traffic Collision

SCD – Specialist Crime Directorate

SCG – Serious Crime Group

SO – Specialist Operations

SOCA – Serious and Organised Crime Agency

TC – Traffic Collision

TFU – Tactical Firearms Unit

TOA – Time of Arrival

TWOC – Taking (a vehicle) Without Owner’s Consent

UCO – Under Cover Of

VSS – Victim Support Scheme

Line of Duty acronyms and initialisms – police rankings and roles

AFO –Authorised Firearms Officer

DC – Detective Constable 

DS – Detective Sergeant

DI – Detective Inspector

DCI – Detective Chief Inspector

Line Of Duty releases first full-length trailer from season 6
Ted Hastings is a Det Supt (Credit: BBC)

Det Supt – Detective Superintendent

DCS – Detective Chief Superintendent

ACC – Assistant Chief Constable

DCC – Detective Chief Constable

CC – Chief Constable

CSE – Crime Scene Examiner

FI – Forensic Investigator

Read more: Line of Duty series six plot detail link to series one

FLO – Family Liaison Officer

FME – Forensics Medical Examiner

PCSO – Police Community Support Officer

SIO – Senior Investigating Officer

UCO – Undercover Officer

Line of Duty airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm.

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Kaggie Hyland
Editor-in-Chief