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City of London Police

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This article describes the police force for the square-mile sized district known as the City of London. For the force covering the rest of Greater London, see Metropolitan Police.
City of London Police
Agency overview
Formed1839; 185 years ago (1839)
Annual budget£151 million[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionCity of London, England, United Kingdom
Area served by the City of London Police
Size1.1 sq mi / 2.8 km²
Population
  • 8,700 (residents)
  • 513,000 (workers)[2]
Legal jurisdictionEngland and Wales
Governing bodyCommon Council of the City of London
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
Overseen by
HeadquartersGuildhall
Police officers958[1]
Police staffs494[1]
Agency executive
Directorates5[1]
Facilities
Stations1
Website
www.cityoflondon.police.uk Edit this at Wikidata
Law enforcement
in the United Kingdom
Topics
Equipment
Types of agency
Types of agent
Concepts
Acts
Statutory instruments
This article is part of a series within the
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Politics of London
Greater London Authority
Mayor of London (list)

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Statutory Deputy Mayor
Joanne McCartney (L/Co)

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Vacant

The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temples.

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 (which also housed it from 1832 to 1840) and there is an additional station at Bishopsgate,[2] with former stations including Moor Lane (destroyed in the Blitz on 29 December 1940) and Cloak Lane (closed 1965).[4]

The City of London Police is the smallest territorial police force in England and Wales, both in terms of geographic area and head-count.[5] The current commissioner (equivalent to the chief constable in non-London forces), is Peter O'Doherty, who was appointed in a temporary capacity in October 2023, and is set to become permanent commissioner in 2024, subject to royal assent.[6]

History

[edit]

To 1850

[edit]
City of London Police Act 1839
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act for regulating the Police in the City of London.
Citation2 & 3 Vict. c. xciv
Text of statute as originally enacted
See also: City of London Police Museum

Traditionally the responsibility for policing in the city had been divided between day and night City Watch, primarily under the two sheriffs. Their responsibilities were shared with the aldermen's officers – the ward beadles – who are now purely ceremonial. It was these officers' responsibility for ensuring that the Night Watch was maintained. Policing during the day eventually came under the City Patrol, which evolved into the City Day Police, which was modelled on the Metropolitan Police. The London City Police was officially formed in 1832, before becoming the City of London Police with the passing of the City of London Police Act 1839, which gave statutory approval to the force as an independent police body and headed off attempts made to merge it with the Metropolitan Police.[7][4] It moved its headquarters from the corporation's Guildhall to 26 Old Jewry in 1840.[4]

1850–1989

[edit]

The first officer of the force to die in the line of duty was in 1857, followed by 31 more to date, including three killed in the 1910 Houndsditch murders. The force was involved in the investigation of the Jack the Ripper murders.[4]

Teams of the City of London Police have participated in the Olympic games three times in the tug of war tournament. At the 1908 Summer Olympics they won the gold medal, beating a Liverpool City Police team in the final. In 1912 a joint City-Metropolitan Police team was beaten in the final by a Stockholm Police team. At the 1920 Summer Olympics a solely City of London Police British team regained its title, beating the Netherlands. This was the last time tug of war was an Olympic sport, which means the City of London Police is still the reigning Olympic champion.[8][9]

The force has 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 [10] Several regular officers of the force were killed in Nazi German air raids over London in 1941 and 1942.

  • The gold medal-winning City of London Police team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
    The gold medal-winning City of London Police team at the 1908 Summer Olympics
  • Sergeants Tucker and Bentley and Constable Choate, murdered while on duty on 16 December 1910
    Sergeants Tucker and Bentley and Constable Choate, murdered while on duty on 16 December 1910

1990–2001

[edit]

The early 1990s saw the IRA carry out a number of high-profile attacks in the city as part of the Troubles, such as the 1992 Baltic Exchange bombing and the 1993 Bishopsgate bombing, resulting in huge economic and infrastructural damage. As a result, the Traffic and Environmental Zone, better known as the "ring of steel", was officially established in 1993 by Owen Kelly, the then City of London Police commissioner.[11] Commander Hugh Moore suffered a fatal heart failure in 1993 following a violent arrest.[12]

Some aspects of the ring of steel were 'stepped down' in the late 1990s following the cessation of IRA hostilities but stepped up again after the September 11 terrorist attacks.[13] The force's headquarters relocated to Wood Street in 2001.[4]

2001–present

[edit]

The City of London Special Constabulary were awarded the Ferrers Trophy in 2006 for the efforts of their officers after the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The award is given annually to police volunteers, for exceptional dedication and innovation. It was the first time in the award's history that an entire special constabulary received the trophy. In 2010 the same trophy was awarded to Special Constable Patrick Rarden of the Honourable Artillery Company Detachment (part of the City of London Special Constabulary) for using his banking skills and experience to help train colleagues and provide invaluable assistance to solve fraud cases.[14] 2002 saw the most recent City officer to die in the line of duty.

In 2015, the City of London Police mounted unit also escorted the exhumed remains of King Richard III through the city of Leicester from St Nicholas Church to Leicester Cathedral, en route to their reburial.[15]

In May 2020, City of London Police officers stopped a vehicle driven by a man who had recently been interviewed by Channel 4 about a prior instance of police harassment, who they incorrectly accused of concealing drugs. After smashing his car window, officers strip-searched him, detained him for 21 hours and impounded his car.[16][17][18] Following an investigation, City of London Police acknowledged failings in their treatment of the man, including returning the vehicle to him without first removing the broken glass, but declined to apologise and said his arrest had been lawful.[19][20][21] In March 2021 the Independent Office for Police Conduct ordered City of London Police to conduct a new investigation into the incident,[18] which resulted in the City of London Police having to apologise to the driver and identified 'organisational and individual learning'.[22]

List of commissioners

[edit]

Organisation

[edit]

The City Police is organised into five directorates:[1]

  • Economic Crime Directorate
  • Crime Directorate
  • Uniformed Policing Directorate
  • Information and Intelligence Directorate
  • Business Support Directorate

Because of the City's role as a world financial centre, the City of London Police has developed a great deal of expertise in dealing with fraud and "is the acknowledged lead force within the UK for economic crime investigation."[24] The Economic Crime Directorate includes:

  • Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU)[25]
  • Insurance Fraud Department (IFED)[26]
  • National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Action Fraud
  • Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU)
  • Economic Crime Academy (ECA) responsible for delivering counter fraud and economic crime training both nationally and internationally[27]
  • The Directorate also formerly had an Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit (OACU), however this unit (along with the Metropolitan Police's Proceeds of Corruption Unit) was transferred to the NCA in 2015 and renamed the International Corruption Unit (ICU).[28]

Leadership structure

[edit]
  • Commissioner – Peter O'Doherty[29]
  • Assistant Commissioner (Operational Policing) – Paul Betts[29]
  • Assistant Commissioner (Fraud and Cyber Crime) – Nik Adams[29]
  • Chief Operating Officer - Alix Newbold [29]
  • Commander (Operations and Security) – Umer Khan[30]
  • Commander (National Coordinator for Economic and Cyber Crime) – Ollie Shaw[30]

Uniform

[edit]
See also: Police uniforms and equipment in the United Kingdom
Assistant Commissioner in ceremonial full-dress uniform for the Lord Mayor's Show.

Whereas the majority of British police forces have white metal cap badges and buttons, those of the City Police are brass. The force also have red and white chequered sleeve and cap bands (red and white being the colours of the City of London), which in most other British police forces are black and white. In formal uniform, female officers wear a red and white cravat.[31]

Their helmet (worn by male constables and sergeants) has altered little since its introduction in 1865 and has a crest instead of the white metal boss worn on the Metropolitan Police helmet. The "helmet plate" or badge is the City of London coat of arms; this is unusual for a police force in England and Wales in that it does not include St Edward's Crown, neither does it have the Brunswick Star, which is used on most other police helmets in England and Wales.[32]

On state and ceremonial occasions, the commissioner and assistant commissioners wear a special court dress uniform with a gold aiguillette and a cocked hat adorned with white swan's feathers; other than on these occasions, they wear standard uniform.[33]

Equipment and vehicles

[edit]

City of London police officers carry warrant cards.[34] Like most other police forces in Great Britain, City of London police officers are not routinely armed, but some officers have received firearms training and are authorised firearms officers.[35] City of London police equipment includes PAVA irritant spray, batons, and handcuffs. Many officers are also equipped with the Taser electroshock weapon; according to the police force's reported figures, Tasers have been deployed (including drawing or "red-dotting") about seven times per month. In the September 2018 to September 2020 period, the City of London Police recorded 11 incidents of police officers firing Tasers on suspects.[36]

The City of London Police maintains a fleet of police vehicles, including SUVs, compact cars, motorcycle, and vans, as well as one horsebox.[37] All of the force's response vehicles, including armed response vehicles (ARVs) carry a defibrillator and first aid supplies, for use in the event of an emergency.[35]

Mounted unit

[edit]
Mounted Section officers

The City of London Police maintains a mounted police unit.[38] In addition to regular duties, the horses of the mounted unit have been used to trample wildflower seeds at the Barbican Wildlife Garden at the request of the community wildlife gardeners.[39] The horses' ceremonial duties include participation in Trooping the Colour and the Lord Mayor's Show.

Ranks

[edit]
See also: Police ranks of the United Kingdom

The ranks from constable to chief superintendent are the same as all other British police forces. The three senior ranks are similar to those used by the Metropolitan Police.

Insignia

[edit]

Constables and sergeants display collar numbers on their rank badges (in the range 1 to 150 for sergeants and 151 to 999 for constables). Officers between the ranks of inspector and chief superintendent (who do not have collar numbers) display their warrant numbers instead. All officers also wear name badges with their rank and surname (e.g. Police Constable John Smith would wear a badge displaying "Constable Smith").

City of London Police ranks
Rank Commissioner Assistant commissioner Commander Chief superintendent Superintendent Chief inspector Inspector Sergeant Constable
Insignia
Note
  • City of London Police insignia are worn on square patches on the upper arm of working dress or on the epaulettes in more formal dress.


The City of London police also has a special constabulary with seven ranks of officers. As with regular officers, constables and sergeants display collar numbers on their rank badges (in the range 1001 to 1099 for sergeants and 1101 to 1299 for constables) and officers between the ranks of inspector and chief superintendent display their warrant numbers, in all cases followed by the letters "SC". The rank badge for a special commander is identical to that for a regular commander. Name badges are identical to those worn by regular officers (e.g. Special Sergeant Mary Jones would wear a badge displaying "Sergeant Jones").

City of London Special Constabulary ranks and insignia
Rank Special Commander Special Chief Superintendent Special Superintendent Special Chief Inspector Special Inspector Special Sergeant Special Constable
Insignia
Note

As well as a PCSO rank

Police Community Support Officer Rank
Insignia Examples of PCSO epaulettes in the City of London Police

Workforce

[edit]

The following is the current released workforce data. The "chief officer" category includes the commissioner, assistant commissioner and commanders, and the "special constable" category includes all special constable ranks.

City of London Police Workforce
Rank Police staff Police support volunteer Designated Officer PCSO Special constable Constable Sergeant Inspector Chief inspector Superintendent Chief superintendent Chief officer
Female personnel 295 5 0 1 17 156 24 14 9 5 1 1
Male personnel 211 14 0 4 62 485 96 29 18 10 6 4
Total personnel 506 19 0 5 79 641 120 43 27 15 7 5
Reference 2021 Police workforce open data tables[40]

Special Constabulary

[edit]

As of December 2023 it consists of 47 volunteer officers, led by a special chief inspector, assisted by 2 special inspectors, 6 special sergeants and 38 special constables. The majority undertake duties during evenings and nights in support of the regular force in dealing with issues arising from the busy night-time economy of the city. However, other officers perform more specialist roles in the force's other directorates including supporting the National Lead Force (NLF) in the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) with a number of officers joining the national Cyber Volunteering initiative.

In 2023 the City of London Police undertook a major restructure of the COLP Special Constabulary, with the ranks of Special Commander and Special Superintendent being abolished and the chief officer now being Special Chief Inspector who reports to the Chief Superintendent for Local Policing who in turn answers to the Commander for Ops and Security.[41]

Many officers have specialist training and perform duties as response drivers, "Level 2" public order officers and cycle officers. As in all forces, special constables are expected to commit to a minimum of 200 hours' duty each year, and in return receive out-of-pocket expenses and free travel on the Transport for London network. They receive no pay.

Uniform and equipment is identical to that of regular (full-time) police officers. Officers of the Honourable Artillery Company Detachment of Special Constabulary CLSC (originally part of the Metropolitan Special Constabulary but moved to the City force on reorganisation) wear the title "HAC" when in formal uniform.[42] Special Constables have four-digit collar numbers beginning 11 or 12, and Special Sergeants have four-digit collar numbers beginning 10.

Chief Officers of City of London Special Constabulary

[edit]

Other corporation policing bodies

[edit]

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

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "City of London Police – Annual Report 2020/2021" (PDF). City of London Police. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "City of London Police – Policing Plan 2022–2025" (PDF). City of London Police. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011". Government of the United Kingdom.
  4. ^ a b c d e "City of London Police History – Key Dates". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  5. ^ "The police | Home Office". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  6. ^ "New Commissioner appointed to lead the City of London Police". New Commissioner appointed to lead the City of London Police. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Records of City of London Police Officers in CLRO" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
  8. ^ "London 1908: Drugs, discord, cheating, boycotts and 56 gold medals for Britain". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  9. ^ "City Police history". City of London Police. Retrieved 6 May 2009.
  10. ^ "Special Constabulary". www.cityoflondon.police.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  11. ^ Corporation of London (1999), "Memorandum by the Corporation of London (IT 134)", House of Commons Select Committee on Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs
  12. ^ "Police Roll Of Honour Trust". policememorial.org.uk.
  13. ^ "New 'Ring of Steel' planned for London Square Mile". BBC. 24 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  14. ^ "Crime-fighting volunteers recognised". National Policing Improvement Agency. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Ferrers Trophy overall winner – Special Constable Patrick Rarden of City of London Police. Patrick has used his banking skills and experience to help train colleagues and provide invaluable assistance to solve fraud cases. He has also established a new charity called "Waste Not, Want Not" to help feed rough sleepers.
  15. ^ Alexandra Rucki, City of London Police horses to lead Richard III cortege during reburial service tomorrow, Evening Standard (21 March 2015).
  16. ^ Busby, Mattha (4 July 2020). "Police smash car window of man on way home from TV interview about police racism". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  17. ^ "London police say 'service was acceptable' after racism complaint over drugs search, smashed car window". Reuters. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  18. ^ a b Taylor, Diane (27 March 2021). "Police force ordered to reinvestigate itself over stop-and-search incident". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  19. ^ Busby, Mattha (8 August 2020). "Man wants police to pay for car window smashed during search". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  20. ^ Manji, Fatima (8 August 2020). "Police say arrest of man driving home after Channel 4 News interview about police racism was lawful". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  21. ^ Taylor, Diane (19 December 2020). "Man stopped by police in London plans to sue for 'severe racial profiling'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  22. ^ White, Nadine (14 June 2022). "Police apologise after smashing window of man who accused officers of racism". The Independent. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  23. ^ Widdup, Ellen (26 May 2009). "City police hire 50 specialists to fight £1 billion fraudsters". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  24. ^ "City of London Police – Economic Crime Directorate". City of London Police. 23 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  25. ^ "DCPCU".
  26. ^ "Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department".
  27. ^ "Home". academy.cityoflondon.police.uk.
  28. ^ "City of London Police – International Corruption Unit". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  29. ^ a b c d "City of London Police – Chief officer team". City of London Police. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  30. ^ a b "City of London Police – City of London Police welcomes two new commanders". City of London Police. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  31. ^ "Uniforms and Buttons". Citypolice.tripod.com. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  32. ^ "Uniforms". Citypolice.tripod.com. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  33. ^ "Uniforms and Buttons". tripod.com.
  34. ^ Warrant Cards (City of London Police response to Request for Information REF: COL/14/939).
  35. ^ a b City of London Police Response to Coroner's Prevention of Future Deaths report dated 1 November 2019 (re "Inquests into the deaths arising from the London Bridge terror attack of 3rd June 2017").
  36. ^ Use of Force: Quarter 2 2020/21: 1 July – 30 September 2020, City of London Police (28 October 2020).
  37. ^ Vehicle fleet list (City of London Police response to Request for Information REF: COL/11/575).
  38. ^ Chris Giacomantonio, Ben Bradford, Matthew Davies & Richard Martin, Assessing the Value of Mounted Police Units in the UK, RAND Europe (2014).
  39. ^ Phoebe Weston, Call the cavalry! Horses ride to rescue of an inner city garden, The Guardian (28 December 2020).
  40. ^ "Police workforce open data tables". GOV.UK. Home Office. 2016–2021.
  41. ^ Police Authority Board, Dec 2023 [https://democracy.cityoflondon.gov.uk/documents/s195434/5.%20Pol_143-23_CLSC_Update_V.3_FINAL.pdf
  42. ^ "Honourable Artillery Company – About the HAC Special Constabulary". Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  43. ^ History of the CLSC [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Lyq4A68nvaphQebWd5_eQ3d6AgIdCVUA/view?usp=sharing
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