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City of London Police

1839 (1839)

£151 million[1]

1.1 sq mi / 2.8 km²

  • 8,700 (residents)
  • 513,000 (workers)[2]

958[1]

494[1]

5[1]

1

The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, outside the city, is the much larger Metropolitan Police, a separate organisation. The City of London, which is now primarily a financial business district with a small resident population but a large commuting workforce, is the historic core of London, and has an administrative history distinct from that of the rest of the metropolis, of which its separate police force is one manifestation.


The City of London area has a resident population of around 8,700, however there is also a daily influx of approximately 513,000 commuters into the city, along with thousands of tourists.[1]


The police authority is the Common Council of the City and, unlike other territorial forces in England and Wales, there is not a police and crime commissioner replacing that police authority by way of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011,[3] but like a police and crime commissioner, the Common Council is elected.


As of 2021, the force had a workforce of 1,355 including 861 full-time police officers and 494 support staff.[1] The force is also supported by much smaller numbers of special constables, police community support officers, and designated officers. The headquarters is located at the Guildhall and there is an additional station at Bishopsgate.[2] The City of London Police is the smallest territorial police force in England and Wales, both in terms of geographic area and head-count.[4] The current commissioner (equivalent to the chief constable in non-London forces), appointed in 2022, is Angela McLaren.[5]

City of London Police Act 1839

An Act for regulating the Police in the City of London.

(1839–1863)

Daniel Whittle Harvey

(1863–1890)

Colonel Sir James Fraser

(1890–1902)

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Henry Smith

(1902–1925)

Captain Sir William Nott-Bower

(1925–1950)

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Hugh Turnbull

(1950–1971)

Colonel Sir Arthur Young

(1971–1977)

James Page

(1977–1985)

Peter Marshall

(1985–1994)

Owen Kelly

(1994–1998)

William Taylor

(1998–2002)

Perry Nove

(2002–2006)

James Hart

(2006–2011)[17]

Mike Bowron

(2011–2015)

Adrian Leppard

(2016–2022)

Ian Dyson

Angela McLaren (2022–present)

Economic Crime Directorate

Crime Directorate

Uniformed Policing Directorate

Information and Intelligence Directorate

Business Support Directorate

Special Constabulary[edit]

History[edit]

The City of London Police have had special constables since at least 1911, when 1,648 were called for duty during docks strikes. There was one day in 1918, when the only warranted officer within the city of London was a special constable [36]

Museum[edit]

The City of London Police Museum is dedicated to the police force and its story of policing.[44] Exhibits include uniforms, Victorian-era police equipment and artefacts, communication devices, World War II displays, and exhibits about Jack the Ripper and other famous murder cases.


The museum relocated in November 2016 to the space formerly used by the Clockmakers' Museum, next to the Guildhall Library.[45] The new museum was funded by a £90,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.[45][46] It was closed to become a COVID testing centre during the COVID-19 pandemic and as of May 2022 had not yet reopened.[47]

City of London market constabularies

,

Hampstead Heath Constabulary

Epping Forest Keepers

The Corporation of London, the local authority for the city, also operates further limited policing bodies. These bodies are not part of the City of London Police:

Fraud Squad

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom

List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories

Project Griffin

Edit this at Wikidata

Official website

at HMICFRS

City of London Police