Battle to merge London's police

[acreature]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...322295,00.html

London, England....Mayor Ken Livingstone wants the government to create a super force for the capital, but officers on the beat see it as unnecessary meddling.

There is, to the untrained eye, very little between them. Perhaps Londoners with a yen for ensigns and uniforms can distinguish between officers from the Metropolitan police and their counterparts in the City of London force. Few others give the issue much thought.

But the demarcation line between two of the main organisations which police London has become a source of frustration for Ken Livingstone, the mayor. Despite the status of the City of London force as a unique entity since 1839, he wants it to be absorbed into the Met, along with the section of the British Transport police responsible for keeping order on the tube. Mr Livingstone has made several approaches to the Home Office and has promised to continue lobbying for a super force which, he says, would police London more efficiently. But that would require legislation.

In addition to persuading David Blunkett, he will also have to convince the rank and file, because officers in the Met, City and Transport police oppose what they say is unnecessary meddling. Illogical though the structures may be, they say the present system has served London well and should be preserved.

[fatboyjim154]

I don't care as long as it gets the work done. I can arrest anyone for commiting an arrestable offence or summons them in the whole of the Enagland & Wales (Scotland & Northan Ireland I can't).

I deal with stuff that should be dealt with by British Transport Police all the time as they haven't enough officers to cover sometimes.

Wouldn't make a difference to me, City POL might be upset, they'd have to get used to driving crappier cars :D

[oscarmitre]

From memory the City police have a very different uniform - instead of shiny bits they have copper coloured bits and the helmet plate is quite distinctive (if they still wear it).

I think it's not a bad idea though. One force for the entire area.

However I suspect it has more to do with Ken and the City rather than more efficient policing. I don't remember who has authority over the City cops (are they still at Old Jewry?) but I wouldn't mind betting Ken can't touch them.

[Oldbillplod]

There are plans to amalgamate all of the UK police foces down to about six or so.
That would mean my force joining up with the Mets which would hopefully mean more money for me.

[acreature]

Never a thing wrong with more money!

[Oldbillplod]

More on this.

There is, to the untrained eye, very little between them. Perhaps Londoners with a yen for ensigns and uniforms can distinguish between officers from the Metropolitan police and their counterparts in the City of London force.

Few others give the issue much thought.

But the demarcation line between two of the main organisations which police London has become a source of frustration for Ken Livingstone, the mayor.

Despite the status of the City of London force as a unique entity since 1839, he wants it to be absorbed into the Met, along with the section of the British Transport police responsible for keeping order on the tube.

Mr Livingstone has made several approaches to the Home Office and has promised to continue lobbying for a super force which, he says, would police London more efficiently. But that would require legislation.

In addition to persuading David Blunkett, he will also have to convince the rank and file, because officers in the Met, City and Transport police oppose what they say is unnecessary meddling.

Illogical though the structures may be, they say the present system has served London well and should be preserved.

Mr Livingstone outlined his vision to the London assembly. "On the grounds of efficiency, effectiveness and clarity of accountability, the City of London police, the Royal parks police and British Transport police should be absorbed into the structures of the MPS [Metropolitan police service]," he said. "It is important to have a single police force coterminous with the London boundaries, which is able to deliver both on local policing and policing a capital city. I will continue to makerepresentations to the Home Office stating the business case and the benefits to Londoners."

But police officers think they have just as strong a case for keeping the status quo. Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: "There is no real benefit in it for us because we would have extra areas to police with not many more to police them with ... it is not as simple as bringing everything into one force. The question should be will it benefit the public and I don't think it would."

William Parsons, chairman of the City of London Police Federation, said his force and the Met already worked closely.

"That relationship serves everyone very well. We in the City of London provide a high standard of performance. I can't think of a reasonable case to say we should be amalgamated."

Roger Randall, the general secretary of the British Transport Police Federation, said the loss of the 650 officers policing the tube would probably be the end of the force despite it being a national body. "This is not government policy and every time it has been looked at it has been decided that this would be the worst possible move for the people of London," he said.

The corporation of London is the police authority for central London and enjoys good relations with Mr Livingstone. But on this issue there is no consensus.

Simon Walsh, chairman of its police committee, said: "The City of London police does a unique job in a unique place and its special focus on both security and economic crime give it real strength. The current arrangement works well and any merger would risk damaging proven excellence. Security and fighting economic crime are too important to become political footballs."

He said: "The Home Office recently recognised the City of London police as the lead regional force in investigating serious economic crime and we have won extra resources for this work."

Daniel Whittle-Harvey, the first commissioner of the City of London police, is responsible for about 500 men.

A successor to the 13th century Watch, it has about 1,200 employees covering the City of London. It is dwarfed by the Met, which has 30,568 officers and an overall workforce of 43,000 people responsible for law and order in Greater London.

John O'Connor, a former head of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, said most Met officers have always respected the abilities of their colleagues in the City. But many also considered the force itself as too small to be credible.

"One very senior officer was once quoted as saying that if he was in charge of the City he would put a sergeant in charge and then forget about it. That sums up the attitude of many," he said.

He said the relative wealth of the City force has always been evident. "They have much better equipment than the Met. Whatever they want they go to the City fathers and they get it quickly. Met officers always find they have to wait."

Donald Rumbelow, who wrote I Spy Blue, a history of the City of London force, said there has been "banter" between officers from the two entities since Victorian times but even now the ties still bind.

"There is a tremendous amount of integration between the two forces," he said. "There is no advantage to be gained from merging the two. Out on the street they are all police officers."