Metropolitan Police District
Metropolitan Police District | |
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Metropolitan Police Service |
The Metropolitan Police District (MPD) is the
The MPD was originally defined in reference to civil parishes and in 1946 was altered to correspond to local government districts. The MPD has been used for other purposes during its existence, such as the boundary for coal tax and as a 'Greater London' statistical unit. When the Greater London Council was established in 1965, the MPD was expanded to include all of its territory, though some areas that did not become part of Greater London continued to be within it. In 2000, when the Greater London Authority was formed, the outer boundary of the MPD was retracted to coincide with Greater London and the neighbouring county forces then became responsible for those areas outside Greater London. The MPD now consists of the 32 boroughs of Greater London (including the City of Westminster), while the City of London is served by the City of London Police.
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:
Middlesex | The Tower division, the Kensington division, the township of New Brentford, the Inns of Court and the liberty of Ely Place
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Kent | The parishes of St Paul and St Nicholas, Deptford, and the parish of Greenwich |
Surrey | The parishes of Christchurch, Southwark, The Liberty of the Clink, The hamlet of Hatcham, and the Borough of Southwark
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1840 revision
There have been numerous changes to the boundaries of the MPD, and of the divisions therein. The
Metropolitan Police District 1840–1946 | |
The map shows the MPD boundary in red. At the centre is the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works 1855–1889, which became the County of London in 1889. The other dashed lines show the boundaries of Essex (containing Loughton), Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, and Hertfordshire (going clockwise). |
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":[1]
County of Middlesex | Staines, Stanmore (Great and Little), Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Tottenham, Twickenham, Twyford Abbey, Uxbridge township and chapelry, Wilsden (sic)
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County of Surrey | Molesey (West), Petersham, Richmond, Roehampton, Sanderstead, Sutton, Thames Ditton including hamlet of Ember, hamlet of Weston, and hamlet of Claygate, Warlingham, Wimbledon, Woodmansterne, Worcester Park (extra-parochial)
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County of Kent | Eltham including Mottingham, Erith, Farnborough, Foots Cray, Hayes, Keston, Kidbrooke, Lee, Lewisham, North Cray, Orpington, Plumstead, St Mary Cray, Wickham (East), Wickham (West), Woolwich
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County of Essex | Barking (Town Ward, Chadwell Ward, Great Ilford Ward, Ripple Ward), Chigwell, Chingford, Dagenham, East Ham, Little Ilford, Loughton, Low Leyton, Waltham Abbey (Holyfield hamlet, Sewardstone hamlet, Upshire hamlet, Waltham Town hamlet), Walthamstow, Wanstead, West Ham (Church-street Ward, Plaistow Ward, Stratford Ward), Woodford |
County of Hertford | Shenley, Theobald-street, Totteridge
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1946 revision
In 1946 the Metropolitan Police District was somewhat redrawn by the
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:[4]
- Greater London, excluding the City of London and the Temples
- Waltham Holy Cross
- Cheshunt Urban District
- Hertfordshire: Hertsmere
- Hertfordshire: Northaw(renamed Northaw and Cuffley in 1982)
- Surrey: Elmbridge: former Esher Urban District
- Surrey: Epsom and Ewell
- Surrey: Spelthorne
- Surrey: 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.[5]
2000 revision
In 1998 the Government '
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.[7]
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.[8]
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 Greater London Parks & Open Spaces Act 1967 and the Epping Forest Act 1878 respectively 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
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
- ^ Order in Council enlarging the Metropolitan Police District, The London Gazette 13 October 1840
- ^ Home Office Circular 100/1946[permanent dead link]
- ^ Police Act 1946
- ^ "The Local Authorities etc. (Miscellaneous Provision) Order 1974", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1974/482
- ^ "The City and London Borough Boundaries Order 1993", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1993/1445, retrieved 20 February 2015
- ^ "A Mayor and Assembly for London", HMSO, 1998, pages 62-67.
- ^ Greater London Authority Act 1999
- ^ "Vision of Britain | 1901 Census: Preliminary Report |". Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.