UK Parliamentary Archives

• Held At: Parliamentary Archives: GB-061
• Catalogue Reference: MET
• Ref No: MET
• Date: July 1848 - November 1988
• Level: Fonds
• Extent: 4 series
• Creator Name: Metropolitan Police Force, (1829-)
• Administrative or Biographical History: The Metropolitan Police Force was founded by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. As the newly created organised police service in London, it superseded the local Watch in the London area, although the City of London was not covered. Indeed, in the beginning, there still remained certain police establishments, organised during the eighteenth century, outside the control of the Metropolitan Police Office.
  These were:
  1. The Bow Street Patrols, mounted and foot, the latter commonly called the "Bow Street runners"
  2. Police Office constables attached to the offices of, and under the control of, the Magistrates;
  3. The Marine or River Police.
  
  However, by 1839 all these establishments had been absorbed by the Metropolitan Police Force. (Note - The City of London Police, which was set up in 1839, remains an independent force to this day.) The Metropolitan Police Service is by far the largest of the police forces that operate in Greater London. (The others include the City of London Police, the British Transport Police and the Royal Parks Constabulary) The original establishment of 1,000 officers policed a seven-mile radius from Charing Cross and a population of less than 2 million. Today, the Metropolitan Police Service employs 25,550 officers, 10,800 civil staff and 844 traffic wardens and, since the realignment of police boundaries in April 2000, it covers an area of 620 square miles and a population of 7.2million.
  
• Description: This collection contains records from July 1984 to November 1988 and created or collated by the Metropolitan Police Force stationed at Parliament - Division 'A'. It contains photographs of the Palace (1987), occurence books (1848-1980), a volume of copies of correspondence, reports and statements (1913-1921) and a file with presentation programmes and files related to State Opening (1933-1988).
  
  This fonds contains records in English unless otherwise stated
• Access Status: Open
• Access Conditions: Open after 30 years unless otherwise stated. From 2005, requests for access under Freedom of Information will be considered.

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