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The 'City of London Police' is the Home Office police force responsible for the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temple. (The Metropolitan Police is responsible for the rest of London, excluding the railways and underground system, which are policed by the British Transport Police.)
With about 1,200 employees (including about 900 police officers) and only three police stations, on Snow Hill, Wood Street, and Bishopsgate, the City of London Police is the smallest Home Office (territorial) police force in England both in terms of geographic area (one square mile) and numbers of police officers. The Commissioner is Michael Bowron.
The force area has a resident population of 8,043 with 4,421 households. However, these numbers are increased by the daily influx of approximately 350,000 commuters working in the City. In addition, about 300,000 cars a day pass through the square mile, as well as a large number of tourists.
Force headquarters is at Wood Street Police Station with the force being divided into two territorial divisions for operational policing. The two divisions are Snow Hill and Bishopsgate with one police station for each. Around half the force staff work from these two police stations, providing services such as uniformed patrol and criminal investigation. Since it polices one of the world's financial hubs, the force has a very well regarded Economic Crime Department, commonly referred to as the Fraud Squad, which deals with fraud and other financial crime.
The force in its present form dates from 1839, when the Corporation of London agreed to reform its police force along modern lines in order for it to not be amalgamated with the new Metropolitan Police. It is a direct successor to the Watch of the 13th century.

Contents

Recent events

Uniform

Ranks in the City of London Police

Commissioners of Police for the City of London

See also

External link

References

Recent events

On 10 August 2005, the then Commissioner, Dr James Hart, made worldwide headlines by suggesting that a terrorist strike against the financial district in the City of London was inevitable [1]. Although Dr Hart told the Associated Press that he did not have knowledge of specific attacks being planned, his officers had previously disrupted target surveillance. When asked whether it was a matter of when, rather than if, the financial district would be struck, he replied, "Yes, I don't doubt that at all."
In late 2005, the Home Secretary announced plans to alter the organisation and number of Home Office (territorial) police forces in England and Wales. These plans do not at present include the Metropolitan Police or City of London Police. However, Sir Ian Blair and Ken Livingstone have both stated their desire to see a single unified police force for London. This proposal, which would see the City Police become an Operational Command Unit of the Metropolitan Police (in much the same way that the Royal Parks Constabulary did), has met with significant criticism from both the Corporation of London and several major institutions resident in the City.
A March 2007 report commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers^[1][2] suggested that the cost of fraud in the UK was some two billion pounds a year. To combat this the report proposed that the City of London Police be a centre of excellence in the combatting of fraud nationwide and to be the lead agency in cases of serious fraud.

Uniform

Whereas all other British police forces have silver-coloured badges, those of the City Police are gold. Also unique are their red and white chequered sleeve and cap bands (red and white being the colours of the City of London).

Ranks in the City of London Police

★ Police Constable (PC) (collar number)

★ Police Sergeant (Sgt or PS) (three point down chevrons under collar number)

★ Inspector (Insp) (two stars of the Order of the Bath, informally known as pips)

★ Chief Inspector (Ch Insp) (three pips)

★ Superintendent (Supt) (crown)

★ Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt) (crown over one pip)

★ Commander (Cmdr) (crossed tipstaves in a laurel wreath)

★ Assistant Commissioner (AC) (pip over Commander's badge)

★ Commissioner (crown above one pip above Commander's badge)
:The prefix 'Woman' in front of female officers' ranks was officially declared obsolete in April, 1999.

Commissioners of Police for the City of London

★ Daniel Whittle Harvey (1839–1863)

★ Colonel Sir James Fraser, KCB (1863–1890)

★ Sir Henry Smith, KCB (1890–1902)

★ Sir William Nott-Bower, KCVO (1902–1925)

★ Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Hugh Turnbull, KCVO, KBE, KPM (1925–1950)

★ Colonel Sir Arthur Young, KBE, CMG, CVO, KPM (1950–1971)

★ Charles James Page, CBE, QPM (1971–1977)

★ Peter Marshall, QPM (1977–1985)

★ Owen Kelly, QPM (1985–1994)

★ William Taylor, CBE, QPM (1994–1998).

★ Perry Nove, CBE, QPM (1998–2002)

★ Dr James Hart, CBE, QPM (2002–2006)

★ Michael Bowron QPM (16 February 2007– present)

See also

★ The Honourable Artillery Company

★ List of police forces in the United Kingdom

★ Policing in the United Kingdom

★ Fraud Squad

External link

★ City of London Police

References

1. Guardian article on Acpo report
2. BBC article on Acpo report