History of the City of London Police

Visitors to London may be surprised to see that there are differences between the uniform worn by the City of London police and that worn by police in other parts of the capital. That is because the City of London Police are a completely separate body from the Metropolitan Police.

In fact the City, sometimes known as the Square Mile, is largely independent of the rest of London with its own Lord Mayor, its own Lord Lieutenant (in the UK pronounced leftenant), its own administration, the Corporation of London, and businesses are permitted to vote in the election of this body.

The City has had its own Watch since the 13th century and this had evolved over the centuries until, by 1824, its Day Watch, numbering about 100, wore blue frock coat, trousers and a top hat - later used as a model for British police everywhere.

In 1829, the Metropolitan Police was formed by Sir Robert Peel but the City was excluded from its jurisdiction. Parliament only passed the City of London Police Act in 1839 and the first force numbered about 500 - men only, of course. It had its headquarters in Guildhall but these moved in 1842 to its present location at 26 Old Jewry.

Before the advent of the National Health Service (NHS), from 1865 the City Police had its own hospital on the site of the present day Bishopsgate Police Station. This was closed down when the NHS began in 1947.

Of course, it was the City of London Police who were charged with investigating London's most notorious serial killer—Jack the Ripper, but without success.

They were involved in another famous case, the Siege of Sydney Street (sometimes called the Battle of Stepney). In January 1911 three policemen were killed and two seriously injured trying to arrest Latvian anarchists attempting to break into a jeweller's shop. Two of the gang took refuge in 100 Sidney Street and the building was quickly surrounded by 300 police. Sir Winston Churchill was Home Secretary and he visited the site and called for a detachment of Scots Guards. The house caught fire and the besiegers expected the men to come out but they never did. Churchill refused to allow the Fire Brigade to tackle the fire and later the burnt bodies of two men were found.

Both World Wars saw City of London police volunteering for the armed forces and their places taken by police reserves. During World War II, of course, the City was one of the most heavily bombed parts of the capital. All four City police stations took direct hits from bombs although only one, in Moor Lane, was totally destroyed.

After World War II, the City Police saw a drop in numbers and, in 1949, its first women officers.

As a result of a 1983 Home Office led working party into the future of the City Police, its three divisions were reduced to two based at Snow Hill and Bishopsgate, and a number of jobs previously undertaken by police officers were given to civilian workers.

Since the early 1970s, the City of London Police has had to deal with a number of terrorist incidents. There were terrorists bombings in 1973 at the Old Bailey, 1992 at St Mary Axe and in 1993 in Bishopsgate.

Nowadays the threat of terrorism is more serious than ever and Britain in general and London in particular are seen as prime targets for atrocities of the most serious kind. This has led to new levels of professionalism and vigilance by all police forces and particularly by the City of London Police.

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