Organisation and structure of the Metropolitan Police Service

Mounted MPS officer outside Buckingham Palace, London

The Metropolitan Police Service of Greater London is organised into four main directorates, each with differing responsibilities. These are Territorial Policing, Specialist Crime & Operations, Specialist Operations and six civilian staffed support departments under the umbrella of Met Headquarters. Each is overseen by an Assistant Commissioner, or in the case of a support department a director of police staff which is the equivalent civilian grade.

The Management Board, responsible for the strategic direction of the MPS is composed of the senior police leadership including the Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, the four Assistant Commissioners (for Specialist Crime & Operations, Territorial Policing, Specialist Operations and Professionalism) and the directors.^[1]

Leadership

The senior leadership rank-holders of the MPS currently are:^[2][3]

• Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis – Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe
• Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis – Craig Mackey
• Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick (responsible for Specialist Operations)
• Assistant Commissioner Helen King (responsible for Territorial Policing)
• Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley (responsible for Specialist Crime & Operations)^[4]
• Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt (responsible for Professionalism)
• Director of Human Resources - Robin Wilkinson
• Director of Commercial and Finance - Anna Klonowski
• Director of Portfolio and Planning - Nina Cope
• Director of Legal Services - Hugh Giles
• Director of Media and Communications - Martin Fewell
• Director of Digital Policing - Richard Thwaite

The highest rank in the MPS is that of the Commissioner, the operational leader; however the MPS is accountable to the newly created Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime on a pan-London basis and the Home Secretary on a national policing basis.

Appointment to the most senior ranks of Assistant Commissioner and above, are made in consultation with the Mayor of London and the Home Secretary, with the appointment of the Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner being formally made by Her Majesty The Queen.^[5]

Territorial Policing

The Territorial Policing (TP) directorate is commanded by Assistant Commissioner Helen King who is responsible for providing the day-to-day local policing of Greater London, the police area known as the Metropolitan Police District, which is divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs); with each London borough assigned a BOCU.^[6] Each BOCU is commanded by a Chief Superintendent.

Each BOCU provides police officers (Regular and Specials) who are responsible for patrolling, and responding to emergencies. Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) are usually made up of both police officers (Regular and Specials) and PCSOs, responsible for policing a specific area within a BOCU. CID detectives are also attached to each BOCU providing an investigative capability.

The Royal Parks Operational Command Unit also comes under the remit of the Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing. The Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing is a member of the Metropolitan Police's Management Board.

Roads and Transport Policing Command

Incorporates the previous Safer Transport Command and Traffic Unit.

The Roads and Transport Policing Command oversees policing on London’s road and transport network. It works in partnership with, and is significantly funded by, Transport for London to tackle transport related crime, improve road safety, reduce the number of traffic related injuries and deaths on London's roads.^[7]

Number of officers per borough

Each BOCU has the following 'officer establishment' as of the end of February 2015 (and February 2014).^[8][9] The two letter code given in brackets for each borough is the identification code for that borough. Every Police Constable and Sergeant of that borough will have those letters on their epaulettes, as part of their shoulder number. [N.B: Special Constables are not counted in these officer figures].

(These officer strength figures only include officers assigned to London Boroughs and do not include those officers assigned to specific team(s) e.g. Central Operations or on assignment with other forces)

Note: numbers of officers for all ranks apart from constable include detectives. See source for full breakdown.

Specialist Crime and Operations

The Specialist Crime and Operations Directorate was formed by the amalgamation of the Specialist Crime Directorate and Central Operations giving dual responsibility to AC Rowley.^[10]

The directorate is headed by Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, three Deputy Assistant Commissioners and a further seven Commanders, and additional civilian staff.^[11]

The Specialist Crime and Operations Directorate is made up of nine commands.

Pan London Taskforce

The Pan London Taskforce encompasses a variety of specialist policing units:

• Air Support Unit
• Dog Support Unit
• Marine Policing Unit
• Mounted Branch
• Territorial Support Group

Homicide and Serious Crime

Responsible for the investigation of homicide, such as: murder, attempted murder, and infanticide, which are all investigated by Murder Investigation Teams.^[12] The Command also investigates missing persons and abduction cases, where there is substantive reason to suspect that life is in danger of being taken, or has been.^[12] The Command also includes the; Homicide Task Force, which works to suppress 'man hunts' by members of the public, the Central Criminal Court Trials Unit which deals with gathering evidence and legal liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service. The Special Projects Investigation Unit which deals with other serious crime.^[12]

Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse

Investigates rape, other serious sexual offences^[13] and crimes against minors, mainly, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. The Command has nineteen Child Abuse Investigation Teams covering each borough, aiding local CID detectives, and are in close liaison with Social Services.^[14] Within the Command, Major Investigations Teams exist which investigate child homicide, a sexual crime unit, a Hi-Tech Crime Unit which deals with computer investigations, the Safeguarding Children and Development Unit which educates against offences, and deals with after-care of victims, and the Ports Safeguarding Team which monitors London airports to ensure such offenders do not enter the country.^[14]

Forensic Services

Responsible for providing an on call, forensic science capability for the 32 Borough Operational Command Units, along with the rest of the Service. Within the Command several smaller units exist, such as; Forensic Investigation Specialist Crime Directorate, which deals with forensic science capabilities on crime scenes that are within the remit of the SCD, such as homicide and armed robberies.^[15]

Also responsible for the collection and archiving of fingerprints, made up of people currently living in the UK. Along with providing good clearance certificates to members of the public, who wish to travel to countries that require a good behaviour certificate before they are authorised to enter.^[16]

Gangs and Organised Crime

Responsible for the investigations of serious, organised and life-threatening crimes. The command is made up of the Central Task Force, the Projects Team, the Flying Squad, the Kidnap and Special Investigation Unit, the Hostage and Crisis Negotiations Unit and the Intelligence Support Unit.^[17]

Also investigates serious economic crime, through a number of specialist units, such as; the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit, the Money Laundering Investigation Team, Financial Investigation Development Units, the Specialist Crime Operations Team, the Stolen Vehicle Unit, the Arts and Antiques Unit, the Police Central e-crime Unit (PCeU), the Wildlife Crime Unit, the Extradition and International Assistance Unit, the Criminal Justice Protection Unit, and the Regional Asset Recovery Team.^[18]

Incorporates Operation Trident which tackles gang violence in London.

Specialist Firearms Command (SCO19)

Specialist Firearms Command or SCO19 (previously SO19 then CO19) is responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the service, which is normally unarmed. Within the media it is occasionally compared to the SWAT units of the United States, being seen as London's equivalent.

Intelligence Command

Led by Commander Richard Martin this is a new command which was formed in order to deliver a single, joined up intelligence service to the Metropolitan Police Service.

The service is uniformly professionalised and the command owns all the Metropolitan Police Service intelligence professionals, including those who work in covert policing.

Specialist Operations

Specialist Operations (SO) is a directorate of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for providing specialist policing capabilities. Until Sir Kenneth Newman's restructuring of the Metropolitan Police, SO comprised twenty units, but after the restructuring most of them were absorbed by Central Operations (now Specialist Crime and Operations).

SO is currently headed by an Assistant Commissioner,^[19] with two Deputy Assistant Commissioners and a further three Commanders.

Diplomatic Protection Group, ARV. Purchased in red to denote that it does not carry out general policing duties, along with the yellow stickers on the bodywork identifying the vehicle as carrying authorised firearms officers

SO is currently organised into three Commands:

Protection Command

Split into the following specialist operational areas:

• Specialist Protection (SO1)

Provides armed personal protection services for ministers and public officials at threat from terrorism, including visiting heads of government and other public figures.

• Royalty Protection (SO14)

Provides protection of the Monarch and other members of the Royal Family. The OCU is divided into Residential Protection, Personal and Close Protection and the Special Escort Group (SEG) who provide mobile protection.

• Diplomatic Protection Group (SO6)

Provides protection for foreign missions in London, including protecting embassies, and the residences of visiting heads of state, heads of government and ministers.

Protection Command is headed by Commander Peter Loughborough, officially The Right Honourable. Commander The Earl of Rosslyn, QPM.

Counter Terrorism Command (SO15)

Formed by the merger of Special Branch and the Anti-Terrorist Branch. The priority of this command is to keep the public safe and to ensure that London remains a hostile environment for terrorists. Their responsibilities include: bringing to justice anyone engaged in terrorism or related offences, preventing and disrupting terrorist activity, gathering and exploiting intelligence on terrorism and extremism in London.

The CT Command is currently headed by Commander Richard Walton (currently moved to a non-operational role post-Ellison review revelations regarding Cmdr Walton's time as an Acting Det Insp. during the 1998 Lawrence murder review.)

Security Command

Security Command is currently headed by Commander Michael Wood.

• Palace of Westminster Division (SO17)
• Aviation Security Operational Command Unit (SO18)
• Protective Security (SO20) - ensures that there are adequate protective security arrangements in place for major events, crowded places, iconic sites and that key utilities and sites where hazardous substances are located are securely protected.

Met Headquarters

• Human Resources
• Commercial and Finance
• Portfolio and Planning
• Legal Services
• Media and Communications
• Digital Policing
• Shared Support Services^[20]

Police officer strength by rank

The following table gives the police strength in the MPS by rank.

As of June 2012, there were 40 officers of ACPO rank, namely the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, in addition to four Assistant Commissioners, ten Deputy Assistant Commissioners and a further 24 Commanders. There were also 14 members of Civilian Staff at the equivalent of Deputy Assistant Commissioner level.^[26]

Employee numbers

The following table gives the employee numbers in the MPS.

Film Unit

The MPS Film Unit was launched in 2006 ^[27] and manages the commercial filming schedule across London on behalf of local councils and major production companies including MGM as well as producers for various film and TV commercials. The Film Unit is based in Southwark and is maintained by current serving police officers. The Film Unit provides operational officers to ensure security for film companies and the general public. It is part of the Film London Partnership which is supported by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Mayor Of London and Film London.^[28]

References

Metropolitan Police Service Specialist Crime & Operations Air Support Unit Dog Support Unit Marine Policing Unit Mounted Branch Emergency Preparedness OCU Public Order OCU Specialist Firearms Command Traffic OCU Traffic Criminal Justice Unit Territorial Support Group Covert policing Economic and Specialist Crime Forensic Services Homicide and Serious Crime Command Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command Operations Trident and Trafalgar Serious and Organised Crime Command (Flying Squad) Specialist Operations Counter Terrorism Command Protection Command Diplomatic Protection Group Specialist Protection Branch Royalty Protection Branch Special Escort Group Security Command Aviation Security Operational Command Unit Palace of Westminster Division Counter Terrorism Protective Security Command Territorial Policing Directorate Central Communications Command Royal Parks Operational Command Unit Safer Transport Command Borough Command Unit Safer Neighbourhood Team History Commissioner Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime Mayor of London Metropolitan Police District Metropolitan Police F.C. Metropolitan Special Constabulary New Scotland Yard Organisation and structure The Job