A brief history of the City of
London Police
There has been some form of policing in the City of London since
Roman times. The current City Police Headquarters is built on part
of the site of the Roman fortress that probably housed some of the
City’s first “police”.
The current City of London Police was formally established by
the City of London Police Act 1839. The first Commissioner, Daniel
Whittle-Harvey, was responsible for about 500 men. The strength of
the Force peaked at around 1200 men in 1910.
In 1842 the Force moved its headquarters from the Corporation’s
Guildhall to 26 Old Jewry, where it remained until being relocated
to Wood Street in 2002.
In 1865 the City Police Hospital was founded in Bishopsgate (on
the site of the current Bishopsgate Police Station) with a surgeon,
matron and nurses. The hospital continued to provide care for
serving officers for 82 years until the introduction of the
National Health Service in 1947.
In 1907 a new City Police ambulance service, using electrically
powered purpose built vehicles, was introduced. Supervised and
staffed by City Police Officers the service relied on a system of
62 street call boxes. Prior to the arrival of the new vehicles a
horse-drawn ambulance and hand litters had been used. The service
remained operational for 42 years until 1949 and the advent of the
London Ambulance Service. This tradition of care for the City’s
communities was maintained when, in 1997, City Police Officers
became the first in Britain to be trained in the use of portable
defibrillators to help treat heart attack victims.
The City Police have a long tradition of sporting prowess. The
Force still reign as Olympic champions for Great Britain – for the
Tug-of-War. City Police teams won the Gold Medal for the event in
1908, shared the Silver Medals in 1912 and won Gold again in 1920,
the last time the Tug-of-War appeared as an Olympic event.
In 1910 three City Police Officers were killed and two seriously
injured trying to arrest a gang of criminals who were attempting to
break into a jeweller’s shop in Houndsditch. Two of the gang met
their end in the famous Siege of Sidney Street. The then Home
Secretary, Winston Churchill, was present during the incident.
During the First World War many City Police Officers volunteered
for the armed forces. The City of London Police Reserves,
consisting largely of Special Constables, assisted those Regular
Officers who remained on duty in the City. Twenty-six City Police
Officers were killed on active service with the armed forces and
many more were decorated for gallantry.
Between 1930 and 1932 traffic lights, operated manually by the
City Police, were introduced at Ludgate Circus and the first
automatic traffic lights in Europe were installed at the junction
of Cornhill and Bishopsgate to allow the Force to manage the
ever-increasing volume of City traffic. In 1937 the Force acquired
its first two patrol cars.
During World War II the First Police Reserve and the Special
Constabulary once more assisted the City Police. Additionally, a
force of War Reserves was created from men over the age of 25 who
wished to serve in the police rather than the armed forces. The
City was one of the country’s most heavily bombed areas; all the
City Police premises received direct hits and one station (Moor
Lane) was completely destroyed. Thirty-three officers were killed
while on active service in the armed forces.
In the post-war years the Force strength fell by one third.
Among the influx of new recruits in 1949 were a woman police
sergeant and six women police constables. In 1995 the Force
appointed its first ever woman of chief police officer rank – one
of only half a dozen nationwide at the time.
City Police Officers have dealt with a number of major incidents
over the years. In 1973, 1992 and 1993 criminal terrorist bombs
exploded at the Old Bailey, St Mary Axe and Bishopsgate. In 1975
City Police were the first on the scene of the Moorgate underground
train crash when 43 City workers were killed and many more
seriously injured. The bombings on 7 July 2005 saw an excellent
response from the Force and the awarding of many commendations,
including a prestigious Home Office award for the whole of the City
of London Special Constabulary.
In 1983 a Home Office led working party into the future needs of
the City Police resulted in a streamlined force; the establishment
of just two divisions (reduced from three) based at Snow Hill and
Bishopsgate; and the civilianisation of a number of police
posts.
The Corporation of London, in 1993, implemented a traffic
management scheme within the inner core of the “Square Mile”. This
reduced the number of entry points into this zone to eight, and the
number of exit points to 12. The zone was increased in size in
1997. As well as bringing traffic and environmental benefits, the
zone is used by police for additional security measures.
Maintaining its tradition of using high technology, the Force
introduced an Automatic Number Plate Recognition system at the
zone’s perimeter in 1997. The first of its kind in the world, the
system automatically checks vehicle number plates against police
records and alerts operators if a match is made.
The City Police have continued to introduce a succession of
technological and other advances to maintain the Force in the
forefront of modern day policing. In October 2006, the Attorney
General recommended that the City of London Police should be the
lead force for fraud giving it the key role as a centre of
excellence for fraud and economic crime nationwide.
The opening lines of the old Force instruction books maintained
that a person “who becomes a member of the City of London Police
inherits a tradition as old as English history itself”.
Nevertheless, policing the “Square Mile” has always been, and still
remains, a partnership between the dedicated and highly trained
officers and staff of the City of London Police, the City of London
Corporation and the diverse community that lives and works in the
City.