The Metropolitan Police Service

Citation

Carter, J.W. (2009), "The Metropolitan Police Service", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 32 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2009.18132cag.002

The Metropolitan Police Service

Article Type: Policing on the web From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 32, Issue 3

Skim through the first few chapters of practically any introductory level policing text book and odds are that you will find a lengthy section detailing the story of the development of the modern police agency. Two developments that will certainly be discussed are the approval of the Metropolitan Police Act in 1829, and the subsequent founding of the first modern police agency, the Greater London Metropolitan Police Department, by Sir Robert Peel[1].

Originally, the Greater London Metropolitan Police Department was composed of 1,000 officers who were responsible for an 8-mile radius surrounding Charring Cross with a population of less than two million people. Today, 180 years after it was established, the Greater London Metropolitan Police Department, now referred to as the Metropolitan Police Service or more simply as “the Met,” continues to police London, but on a much larger scale. Today, the Metropolitan Police Service employs 31,000 officers, 14,000 police staff, 414 traffic wardens and 4,000 Police Community Support Officers, as well as, 2,500 volunteer police officers. The Metropolitan Police Service is now responsible for over 620 square miles and serves a population of over 7,200,000 people. In addition to the growth in its responsibilities, the size of its jurisdiction and the number of personnel employed, the Metropolitan Police Service has also established its presence in cyber-space.

Upon accessing the web site for the Metropolitan Police Service (www.met.police.uk) one’s initial impression is that this site serves as a valuable resource for Londoners and represents a shining example of how the agency is living out its current slogan – “working together for a safer London.” The opening page of the web site offers Londoners a bit of crime news by detailing recent criminal activity and other crime-related current events. It also offers citizens various hyperlinks allowing them to report crimes and/or terrorist activities online. However, the web site also offers links to various services provided by the Metropolitan Police Service: including access to local police contacts, the location of neighborhood police stations, interactive neighborhood-specific crime maps, information about recent scams and frauds, a link to compliment or praise a Met police officer, as well as, online forms for filing a missing persons report or to apply for various permits issued by the Met. There is also a section of Met-related frequently asked questions called “Ask the police.”

The web site of the Metropolitan Police Service also includes a page of crime prevention advice for young people. This page is part of the Met’s devotion to “delivering effective crime prevention advice for all of London’s communities […]” Among the advice offered to young people are topics such as safety tips for when one is home alone or are traveling on foot or by public transportation, the dangers of drugs and alcohol, how to safeguard one’s personal possessions, safety tips related to cell phones, the dangers associated with weapons such as firearms and knives, information on cyber-bullying and link to the Met on “Bebo” – a web site which appears to be very similar to Facebook – where young people can post messages to a police sponsored bulletin board concerning crime-related matters in their neighborhood. The Met’s web page for young people also includes a link to an enormous list of online resources tailored to the needs of its audience – young people, parents and caregivers.

Finally, the Met’s web site has a very interesting page devoted to the history and development Metropolitan Police Service. This page includes a link to the Metropolitan Police Service’s crime museum, a link to a page explaining the uniform insignia worn by Met officers, as well as links to organizational information about the Metropolitan Police Service (e.g. leadership diagrams, strategic plans, oversight agencies, etc.).

In conclusion, the web site of the Metropolitan Police Service is in many ways very similar to the web sites of other law enforcement agencies; however, one cannot help but be amazed at the progress such a site represents – from a department made up of 1,000 officers to a department composed of nearly 50,000 officers, staff and volunteers, from serving a population of less than 2,000,000 to serving over 7,200,000 persons, from an initial jurisdiction of an 8-mile radius to its present jurisdiction of over 600 square miles and firmly establishing itself within the realm of cyberspace. It certainly appears that the Metropolitan Police Service, the World’s first modern police agency, has come a long way in the short 180 years of its existence.

J.W. Carter IICollege of Mount St Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

The author would like to point out that all dates, quotations and facts contained in this article were taken from the web site of the Metropolitan Police Service (www.met.police.uk accessed May 10, 2009).