operation trident, or simply trident, is a metropolitan police service unit, originally set up in 1998 by the black community, as a community led initiative with the police to tackle gun crime and homicide disproportionately affecting african-caribbean communities, following a series of shootings in the london boroughs of lambeth and brent. by 2008 the unit was responsible for investigating "all" non-fatal shootings for "the metropolitan police", and in february 2012 the unit's remit was again expanded: the new trident gang crime command was launched, incorporating responsibility for tackling wider gang crime. in 2013 the unit gave up responsibility for investigating fatal shootings, which was taken over by the homicide and serious crime command.