Police unit to boost London films

Sharon Stone's latest film was filmed in London

A special police unit is to be set up dedicated to making it easier to film movies in London.

The Metropolitan Police Filming Unit (MPFU) will be made up of a team of officers who will be a single point of contact for filming requests.

It is part of the London Filming Partnership, whose 120 members include councils, studios and industry bodies.

Recent films shot in London include Basic Instinct 2, V for Vendetta and The Da Vinci Code.

New York Police already have a dedicated film unit, and London is keen to promote itself to film-makers because of associated benefits for the economy, employment and tourism.

'Difficult times'

Police are needed on film shoots involving nudity, road closures, guns, crowd control or a scene which looks like an accident.

Last year the Met helped with the shoot for recent release V for Vendetta, a political thriller which involved hundreds of extras storming Parliament and shut Whitehall for three nights.

Speaking at the premiere of Basic Instinct 2 on Wednesday night, its star Sharon Stone told BBC London it had been a positive experience despite filming at the time of last July's bombings.

"We were here during some difficult times because we were here during the terrorist attacks," she said

She said she experienced a "tremendous amount of compassion", professionalism and "a wonderful feeling of safety form the people we worked with".

The unit was launched on Wednesday night at a reception marking the first year's anniversary of the London Filming Partnership.

Police commander Shabir Hussain said: "This is a great opportunity for the Metropolitan Police to work with the London Filming Partnership to capitalise on the benefits of filming in London, whilst helping keep disruption to a minimum."

Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London, said the launch of the unit was "a major step forward for filming in the capital".