Metropolitan Police District

History

Creation

The Metropolitan Police District was defined in the schedule of the Metropolitan Police Act 1829 as an approximately circular area within a seven-mile (11-kilometre) radius of Charing Cross, which was divided into four districts and 17 police divisions.

It consisted of parts of:

1840 revision

There have been numerous changes to the boundaries of the MPD, and of the divisions therein. The Metropolitan Police Act 1839 recognised that the "boundary is... very irregular" and made it lawful to add any place in the Central Criminal Court District and also "any part of any parish, township, precinct or place" not more than 15 mi from Charing Cross. The enlarged district encompassed the metropolitan area and some parts of Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire and Surrey. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica notes that it included "those civil parishes [...] of which any part is within 12 mi of, or of which no part is more than 15 mi from, Charing Cross".

The enlargement under the 1839 Act was carried out by Order in Council made on 3 January 1840, which listed the following "parishes, townships, precincts, and places" ... "should be added to, and form part of, the metropolitan police district":

1946 revision

In 1946 the Metropolitan Police District was somewhat redrawn by the Police Act 1946, to match the then local government boundaries. The boroughs of Dartford and Watford, the urban district of Caterham and Warlingham and the parish of St. Peter Rural were wholly excluded from the District; whilst the borough of Epsom and Ewell, the urban districts of Banstead, Cheshunt, Coulsdon and Purley, Crayford, Esher and Orpington were brought wholly within the district. The definition, in the Fourth Schedule is as follows:

1965 revision

In 1965 the administrative boundaries of London were extended. After 1965 the newly created Greater London more closely matched the MPD, and the MPD was defined again by section 76 of the London Government Act 1963. The former area of the Municipal Borough of Romford and Hornchurch Urban District, which had not previously been covered by the MPD but were now in Greater London, were added. The revised MPD included some areas that did not become part of Greater London.

In 1974 it was again restated as:{{Cite legislation UK

• Greater London, excluding the City of London and the Temples
• Essex: Epping Forest : former Chigwell Urban District and parish of Waltham Holy Cross
• Hertfordshire:
  • Broxbourne : former Cheshunt Urban District
  • Hertsmere
  • Welwyn Hatfield: parish of Northaw (renamed Northaw and Cuffley in 1982)
• Surrey:
  • Elmbridge: former Esher Urban District
  • Epsom and Ewell
  • Spelthorne
  • Reigate and Banstead: former Banstead Urban District

1990s revision

Following the first periodic review of Greater London and the London boroughs by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, changes were made to the City of London Police and MPD boundary on 1 April 1994, with several exchanges of territory. | access-date = 20 February 2015

2000 revision

In 1998 the Government 'Green Paper' on the Greater London Authority proposed to create a police authority for the Metropolitan Police, who had previously been under the control of the Home Secretary. Initially, the government proposed to retain the areas outside the local government boundary, with a representative appointed to the Metropolitan Police Authority from the councils outside the Greater London Authority boundary.

However the government changed its mind and in the Greater London Authority Act 1999, the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District were redefined to match Greater London. The excised county areas were reassigned to Essex Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Surrey Police.

Use for other purposes

The London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Act 1861 aligned the coal tax boundary to the MPD and a series of coal-tax posts can be found along the boundary as it existed at that time.

During the 20th century the population of the County of London was in decline and the London population was growing in the outer suburbs within the MPD. During this period the MPD was used as a definition of 'Greater London'. 1901 Census is an example of this.

Exceptions

Not all parts of Greater London, although within the boundaries of the MPD, are policed by the Metropolitan Police. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 defines the Metropolitan Police District as consisting of "Greater London, excluding the City of London, the Inner Temple and the Middle Temple." The City of London has its own police force, the City of London Police, which also covers the Inner and Middle Temples. As constables of both forces are empowered throughout England and Wales, mutual assistance is a routine matter. The City of London has limited policing jurisdiction with parks constabularies within their lands at Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest (constables are attested under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Provisional Order Confirmation (Greater London Parks and Open Spaces) Act 1967 (c. xxix) and the Epping Forest Act 1878 respectively, and not under the Police Acts as members of the City of London Police).

The London Underground and the lines and stations of the national railway network within the MPD are primarily policed by the British Transport Police but are not excluded from the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police.

The Royal Parks of London used to be policed by the Royal Parks Constabulary (RPC) whose powers derived from the Parks Regulation Act 1872. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 abolished the RPC in England and Wales and provided for the transfer of personnel within Greater London into the Metropolitan Police, leaving the Royal Parks within the general jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police.

The Ministry of Defence Police is responsible for policing a few Ministry of Defence buildings and property within the MPD. As with the BTP, their jurisdiction is not to the exclusion of the Metropolitan Police who have statutory responsibility for providing policing to the entire MPD.

References

References

1. [https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/19904/page/2250/data.htm Order in Council enlarging the Metropolitan Police District, The London Gazette 13 October 1840]
2. [http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/HO/CircularsOld.nsf/0/6D6BC0829CC7949E80256D730047A721/$file/Home%20Office%20Circular%20100%20-%201946.pdf Home Office Circular 100/1946]{{Dead link. (April 2020)
3. [[Police Act 1946]]
4. "A Mayor and Assembly for London", HMSO, 1998, pages 62-67.
5. [[Greater London Authority Act 1999]]
6. (20 June 1998). "Met gears up for 2000". News Shopper.
7. "Vision of Britain {{!".