Organisation and structure of the Metropolitan Police

The Metropolitan Police of Greater London, England is organised into four main directorates, each with differing responsibilities. These are Frontline Policing (formerly Territorial Policing), Met Operations (formerly Specialist Crime & Operations), Specialist Operations, Professionalism and six civilian staffed support departments under the umbrella of Met Headquarters.[1] 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.

Mounted MPS officer outside Buckingham Palace, London

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 Met Operations, Frontline Policing, Specialist Operations and Professionalism) and five directors.[1]

Leadership

As of 2023 the senior leadership rank-holders of the MPS are:[2][3]

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

Appointments 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 the monarch.[4]

Frontline Policing

The Frontline Policing Directorate, formerly known as Territorial Policing, is commanded by Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe, who is responsible for providing the day-to-day local policing of Greater London (excluding the City of London), the police area defined in legislation as the Metropolitan Police District.

Basic Command Unit (BCU)

Historically the Metropolitan Police District's territory was divided into divisions grouped into districts and later divisions grouped into areas. In 2000 this was replaced by a system of one Borough Operational Command Unit (BOCU) for each of the thirty-two post-1965 London boroughs, each commanded by a chief superintendent.[5] In early 2018, largely due to police funding constraints, it was announced that there would be a radical shake up of local policing in London to replace the BOCUs established in 2000. Over the following 12 months all 32 BOCUs would be merged with others to form 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs). This followed a trial of two 'pathfinder' BCUs, Central North BCU consisting of the old Islington and Camden BOCUs, and the East Area BCU consisting of the old Barking & Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge BOCUs.[6]

Each BCU is provided with:

  • Telephone and Digital Investigation Unit (TDIU): Provides initial over-the-phone investigation of crime; it is either resolved or passed on to the other teams for further investigation
  • Local Resolution Team (LRT): Provides remote investigation and resolution work for non-crime incidents or incidents not requiring an immediate physical response
  • Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs): Made up of uniformed officers and PCSOs who are responsible for local long term community interaction and problem solving.
  • Emergency Response & Patrol Team (ERPT): Provides the majority of the physical responses to 999 or 101 calls, primarily investigates volume crime
  • Criminal Investigation Department (CID): Detectives investigate more serious and complex crimes beyond the scope of ERPT's; for crimes outside even the CID's remit, it is transferred to the Specialist Crime Command (non-BCU Frontline Policing)
  • Violence Suppression Units (VSU): Plain-clothes officers dedicated to specific BCUs, aimed at reducing street crime.

The 12 BCU structure consists of the following boroughs:

  1. Central West BCU (AW) – Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster
  2. South West BCU (SW) – Kingston, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth
  3. South BCU (SN) – Bromley, Croydon, Sutton
  4. South East BCU (SE) – Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham
  5. East BCU (EA) – Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge
  6. West BCU (WA) – Ealing, Hillingdon, Hounslow
  7. Central South BCU (AS) – Lambeth, Southwark
  8. North BCU (NA) – Enfield, Haringey
  9. Central East BCU (CE) – Hackney, Tower Hamlets
  10. Central North BCU (CN) - Camden, Islington
  11. North West BCU (NW) – Barnet, Brent, Harrow
  12. North East BCU (NE) – Newham, Waltham Forest

There has been significant concerns raised in various quarters over these changes.[7][8][9]

Non-BCU Frontline Policing

As of February 2019 the non-BCU units within Frontline Policing were:[10]

  • Royal Parks Operational Command Unit
  • Crime Recording Investigation Bureau (CRIB)
  • Frontline Policing Headquarters
  • Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command
  • Specialist Crime Command
  • Online Child Sexual Exploitation
  • Organised Crime
  • Trident
  • Violent Crime Task Force(VCTF)

Met Operations

Met Operations or Met Ops is one of the four business groups which forms the Metropolitan Police Service. It was created during the 2018–19 restructuring of the service, amalgamating much of its functions from the previous Specialist Crime & Operations Directorate. As of 2023 the group is led by Temporary Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.

It consists of several branches:[11]

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 Met Operations).

SO is headed by an Assistant Commissioner (Matt Jukes as of 2023), with two deputy assistant commissioners and three commanders.[13]

SO is currently organised into three commands:[11]

Protection Command

Split into the following specialist operational areas:[11]

Security Command

Security Command is headed by a Commander (as of 2023 Simon Dobinson). The command comprises:[11]

  • Aviation Security Operational Unit (SO18)
  • Protective Security Operations – 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.

Counter Terrorism Command
Main article: Counter Terrorism Command

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.

Professionalism

This portfolio, commanded as of 2022 by Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, continues the work of A10, an anti-corruption department set up by Commissioner Robert Mark in 1971.[14] An Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command was added in October 2022.[15]

Digital and Technology

Formerly known as Digital Policing and falling under Met Headquarters, this is led by the Chief Digital and Technology Officer (Darren Scates, acting, as of 2023), who heads directors for:

  • Service Delivery
  • Technology and Business Engagement
  • Solution Delivery

Met Headquarters

Headed by the Chief of Corporate Services (Roisha Hughes, acting, as of 2023), its senior team includes a CONNECT SRO, a director without portfolio, a deputy assistant commissioner (Corporate Services) and a director each for:[16]

  • Media and Communication
  • Legal Services
  • Human Resources
  • Strategy & Governance
  • Transformation[lower-alpha 6]
  • Property Services (formerly known as Portfolio and Planning)
  • Finance
  • Commercial

Its remit also includes Shared Support Services.[17]

Film Unit

The MPS Film Unit was launched within Shared Support Services in 2006[18] 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 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.[19]

Police officer strength by rank

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

DateConstableSergeantInspectorCh. inspectorSuperintendentCh. superintendentACPO rankTotal
31 March 2010[20]24,7886,0691,695475217863733,367
31 March 2011[21]24,5955,5831,503448196813432,441
31 March 2012[22]24,3285,4941,641362201793532,140
31 March 2013[23]23,2834,9821,442452157723130,398
31 March 2014[24]24,4204,6441,235422109732930,932
31 March 2015[25]25,8514,3211,103333165762931,877
31 March 2016[26]25,7874,5481,261279159622932,125
31 March 2018[27] 24,149 4,456 1,234 275 197 46 34 30,390

Total workforce

The following table gives the workforce numbers in the MPS.

Date Staff members PCSOs Police officers Total Special constables
31 March 201014,1794,64533,36752,1913,177
31 March 201113,6884,00932,44150,1384,944
31 March 201212,7512,76032,14047,6515,752
31 March 201312,3282,68430,39845,4105,303
31 March 201411,3032,08730,93244,3224,587
31 March 201510,5991,78731,87744,2633,659
31 March 20169,5211,62632,12543,2723,271

Notes
  1. Consisting of Territorial Support Group, the Marine Policing Unit, the Dog Support Unit and Mounted Branch
  2. Internal
  3. External[12]
  4. Previously SO19 then CO19
  5. Responsible for providing a firearms-response capability, assisting the rest of the MPS, which is normally unarmed.
  6. Assisted by Assistant Commissioner (Transformation) Matt Jukes

References
  1. "Home – The Met". content.met.police.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  2. "Senior Management Team". Metropolitan Police. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. "Two new Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioners appointed". news.met.police.uk. 27 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022.
  4. "Home Office – police". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  5. "Metropolitan Police Service – Organisational Structure". Metropolitan Police Service. Archived from the original on 16 May 2013.
  6. "Met announces changes to local policing". Mynewsdesk. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  7. "Nearly 1,500 people sign petition to 'save' Sutton police after controversial merger plans". News Shopper. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  8. "Borough-based policing commands to disappear in London-wide cost cutting plan". Eastlondonlines. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  9. "Met to merge all policing boroughs". BBC News. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  10. "Organisational Structure of Frontline Policing & Professionalism". Metropolitan Police Service. 28 January 2019. Freedom of Information Request 01/FOI/18/000467. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  11. "Structure of Met Operations & Specialist Operations". Metropolitan Police Service. 4 December 2018. Freedom of Information Request 2018110000484. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  12. "Freedom of Information Request Reference No: 01/FOI/18/000470". WhatDoTheyKnow. Metropolitan Police Service. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019. The Unit is still known as SCO19 Specialist Firearms Command.
  13. "Executive Structure" (PDF). Metropolitan Police Service. February 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 March 2017.
  14. Hobbs, Dick (5 October 2010). "Obituaries - Sir Robert Mark: Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police who was ruthless in rooting out corruption". The Independent. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  15. "New Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command in Commissioner's reform of the Met". news.met.police.uk. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  16. "Executive Structure" (PDF). Metropolitan Police. November 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. "MPS Executive Structure". met.police.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  18. "Film Unit - Metropolitan Police Service". Archived from the original on 23 February 2013.
  19. Policy for Filming in London, Metropolitan Police Service. Retrieved 25 October 2012
  20. Sigurdsson, Jenny; Dhani, Amardeep (22 July 2010). "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 31 March 2010".
  21. Police Service Strength. England and Wales, 31 March 2011
  22. Police Service Strength. England and Wales, 31 March 2012
  23. Home Office (18 July 2013). Tables for 'Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2013'.
  24. Home Office (17 July 2014). Tables for 'Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2014'.
  25. Home Office (16 July 2015). Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2015: data tables.
  26. Home Office (21 July 2016). Police workforce, England and Wales, 31 March 2016. See data tables. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  27. "Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2018". Government of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
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