Line of Duty's AC-12 buy new kits for local Belfast football club

What a kind gesture 👏👇

Author: Emma DicksonPublished 29th Mar 2021
Last updated 29th Mar 2021

Belfast Celtic Young Men & Ladies under-13 and 15 girls team have received sponsorship from three of the BBC's leading actors, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar.

This all started when one of the girls from the Belfast Celtic team posted a plea on social media for new kit sponsors.

Martin Compston who plays the role of Steve Arnott in the hit BBC drama, spotted the post online, and as a keen football fan wanted to get involved. Compston got in touch with the club, then rallied his co-stars to take part also.

As part of the new kit, the slogan AC-12 will be printed on the front - the name of the police anti-corruption unit featured in the programme.

The trio are a close unit both on and off screen, pre-covid you could easily bump into the cast enjoying a drink in one of Belfast's popular bars or restaurants. They're big fans of the city!

With the return of the sixth season, comes a new murder case, some new cast members and of course a new vocabulary. It might be useful to refresh your memory with some of the Line of Duty acronyms and police lingo.

Line of Duty acronyms explained:

OCG - Organised Crime Group: Serious crime planned, coordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis, mostly acting in different roles depending on their skills and expertise.

PACE - Police and Criminal Evidence Act: Established in 1984, a code of practice that regulates police powers and protects public rights.

REG 15 - Regulation 15 notice: A notice that advises an officer that a complaint has been made or a conduct matter has come to light that warrants investigation by professional standards department.

RIPA - Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000: An act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, which regulates the powers of the public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and covers the interception of communications.

RTC - Road Traffic Collision

ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition: Technology is used to detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level.

AC-12 - Anti-Corruption Unit 12: A dedicated unit that holds responsibility for investigating corruption within the police force.

CHIS - Covert Human Intelligence Source: A person who establishes or maintains a personal or other relationship with another person for the covert purpose.

AFO - Authorised Firearms Officer: A police office, who has been selected, trained, accredited and authorised by their chief officer to carry a firearm operationally.

ARVs - Armed Response Vehicles: ARVs are crewed by Authorised Firearms Officers to respond to incidents believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations.

DIR - Digital Interview Recording: Digital device used to record police interviews.

IOPC - Independent Office for Police Conduct: A non-departmental public body in England and Wales which, since 8 January 2018, is responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against forces in England and Wales.

FI - Forensic Investigator: The FI gathers and preserves physical evidence at a crime scene to take to a lab where they examine what they or other law enforcement personal have found.

I.P. Address - Internet Protocol Address: A numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

SFC - Strategic Firearms Commander: The SFC has overall strategic command of firearms operations, with responsibility and accountability for directions given.

UCO - Undercover Operative: A method use by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. They wear civilian clothes that fit in to avoid detection.


TFC - Tactical Firearms Officer: A TFC provides guidance on the appropriate use in respect of different tactical options involving the deployment of AFOs.

VPN - Virtual Private Network: The extension of a private network that includes links across shared or public networks, such as the Internet.

Read more:

Ted Hastings quotes you'll only understand if you're from Belfast

Line of Duty cast share their favourite Belfast hotspots

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Tune into Northern Ireland's Home of Great Music, Downtown Radio on FM, AM, DAB Digital Radio, online, on our Rayo app and by asking your smart speaker to 'Play Downtown Radio'. Gary & Glen kick things off every weekday morning and Neal McClelland brings you home on Downtown Drive.