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Departments and Branches at Scotland Yard   1829 - 2000

This is a description of how the Departments and Branches at Scotland Yard have evolved over the years.   Most of us find the short titles of branches (eg CO59, G11) confusing when they refer to time periods with which we are not familiar, and struggle with understanding some senior job titles, so this is a modest attempt to help understand how things developed in successive reorganisations.   Inevitably there are gaps in the information, and points of uncertainty, for which we apologise.   For any corrections or queries, please contact us on the link above.

1829

When the Metropolitan Police was first established in 1829, the Receiver, John Wray, was the first to be appointed.   It was his task to collect the money due from the local vestries and government and to procure the buildings, uniform and equipment needed for the new police system.   The two Commissioners, Sir Charles Rowan and Sir Richard Mayne, were appointed shortly afterwards. 

In addition to the Receiver, there was a Chief Clerk, Maurice Dowling, who was dismissed in October 1829 for leaking information to the press.   Dowling’s successor, Charles Yardley, was far more successful, eventually retiring from the post in 1864.   Two clerks worked for Yardley, and were engaged in correspondence, checking lists of supplies and property, dealing with statistics, and circulating the Commissioners’ Orders and morning reports from Divisions.   A third clerk was added in 1833, but the administrative workload was such that police officers from A Division were employed to supplement the clerks.   At that time three departments were created:  Correspondence, Finance and Candidates.   In 1915, Correspondence was divided into A, B and C.

Legal, Property and Executive matters

John Wray had been a barrister, and had a commercial and life assurance background, so he was probably familiar with property issues.    He appointed firm of solicitors, Lyons, Barnes & Ellis, to conduct property and other business on behalf of the Receiver.  Various changes in title of the firm occurred until they became Winckworth & Pemberton in 1978.   By 1874, separately, a legal advisor to the Commissioner, James Davis, was appointed, later being succeeded in 1887 by Messrs Wontner & Son.    In 1935, Lord Trenchard brought the Met’s legal business in-house, creating the Solicitor’s Department

Legal issues would have arisen in relation to contracts and buildings, but operationally it was the criminal law that governed prosecutions.  The Commissioner, Sir Richard Mayne was also a barrister, and therefore had a legal background to direct criminal investigations until he died in post in 1868.   (The office of Director of Public Prosecutions was not instituted until 1879.)  

For police buildings, Joseph Morris surveyed premises initially, and in 1842 Richard Fletcher was appointed as the first permanent Surveyor of the Police Establishment, soon being replaced in 1843 by Charles Reeves taking responsibility for what had become 125 buildings within the Metropolitan Police District (MPD).   Reeves started the process of properly designing police stations.   Until 1845, the Surveyor General of Prisons had overall responsibility for all the buildings used by the police.

In 1853 Colonel Paschal started the Executive Branch, with the rank of Chief Inspector, and the post, which included responsibility for the Public and Hackney Carriage Offices, was later held by a Superintendent, some of whom (eg Kittle, Harris, Cutbush)  became prominent figures at Scotland Yard. 

 Assistant Commissioners

In 1856, when Sir Richard Mayne became the sole Commissioner rather than a joint holder of the office, two Assistant Commissioner (AC) posts were authorised.   These two Assistant Commissioners developed their roles by splitting their duties, one having responsibility for internal discipline and the administration of the uniform operations; the other managing executive business, supplies and buildings.    From 1869, when the Metropolitan Police District was divided into four Districts, the two Assistant Commissioners took responsibility for two Districts each.  These two senior roles eventually developed into A and B Departments. 

In 1878, after a brief period when the former magistrate and legal advisor to the Commissioner, James Davis, had been put in charge of the Department of Crime, Sir Howard Vincent was appointed as Director of Criminal Intelligence, taking charge of CID officers.   In 1884, this became the third Assistant Commissioner post, and was created to undertake responsibility for criminal investigation matters.   The Special Irish Branch, the forerunner of anti-terrorist policing, began life a year earlier, in 1883.

In 1884 a department known as ‘Civil Business’ was created to deal with all the various statutory duties of the Commissioner such as regulation of public carriages, licensed premises, betting & gaming, pedlars and so on.   In the early twentieth century the workload, especially in relation to traffic matters, increased so much that the responsibilities were split between what became B (Traffic) and L (Legal) department.

The Receiver

Maurice Drummond succeeded  John Wray in 1869 and tightened the lines of command in relation to the management of the estate, and in formalising communications.   The Metropolitan Police (Receiver) Act 1861 established the role as a ‘corporation sole’ clarifying the legal responsibilities vested in the office.   The process of formalising responsibilities was at times fraught with tension, with distinctions being drawn between the Commissioner’s Office and the Receiver’s Office.    The Receiver related strongly to the Whitehall civil service and guardianship of public expenditure, and also had responsibility, from 1839, for the resources for what became the magistrates courts and probation service within the inner London part of the MPD.

1906

In 1906, under Sir Edward Henry,  the departments headed by the three Assistant Commissioners were given three titles,  Administration, Executive and Crime.

Administration:  Beats, candidates, complaints, commendations, clothing & equipment, discipline, gratuities, manpower distribution, dockyards, mounted branch, processions, street collections and traffic regulation.

Executive:   Advertisements, aliens, street betting, children’s employment, costermongers, disorder in the streets, disorderly houses, Dogs Acts, financial questions, gratuities not dealt with as discipline, insane persons, legal questions, liquor laws, lost property, military deserters, missing persons, motor cars, pedlars, public carriages, stations & stores, summonses and veterinary preventive measures.

Crime:   and, in addition, gaming & betting in public houses or private premises, naturalisation, and missing girls.

1909

A fourth Assistant Commissioner was established and the AC duties split as follows:

A - Internal Administration & Discipline

B – Civil, financial and legal business, traffic, and lost property office

C – Crime, serious crime, Special Branch and convict supervision

D – Complaints from the public, disorderly houses, street collections, pedlars, betting & gaming and fires.

1929

Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police published in 1919 by JF Moylan, the Receiver, contains an organisation chart showing ACA responsible for the administration and discipline of the force.   Deputy Assistant Commissioner A (DAC A) was responsible for Mounted Branch and four District Chief Constables.  In C Department one DAC took charge of Special Branch whilst another DAC was responsible for all other CID operations.

The HQ branches were:

A1 - Recruiting records, distribution of manpower, and police quarters.

A2 - Training school at Peel House

A3 - Promotion and transfers, pay rates, ceremonial events, movements of the force, medical & sick, special duties and police orders.

(B1)

B2 - Traffic

B3 – Public carriage office under a Superintendent, dealing with licensing of drivers and conductors of trams, buses and cabs, and inspection and regulation of them.

C1 – Central CID staff

C2 – Crime correspondence

C3 – Fingerprint Bureau

C4 – Criminal Record Office

Special Branch, under the command of its own DAC.

L1 – Civil business, legal questions, betting & gaming, intoxicating liquor laws, street collections and firearms

L2 – Aliens

Press Bureau.

Under the Receiver’s responsibility, the Architect & Surveyor (buildings and management of property) and the Engineer (motor vehicles, boats, wireless etc) reported to the Secretary who took direct responsibility for financial administration and accounts, pensions, contracts, clothing & equipment, printing of Police Gazette, Police Orders, Informations etc.    The numbered secretariat branches were:

S1 -  general correspondence

S2 – pension awards

S3 – accounts

S4 – statistics

S5 – lost property

1932-33

A 1932 reorganisation distributed work undertaken by L Department to other departments:

A Dept (headed by a DAC) – responsible for organisation of uniform policing, women police, strength and deployments, admin and general duties, betting liquor licences and complaints.

B Dept (headed  by an AC) – Traffic, public vehicles and lost property

C Dept (headed by an AC) – Criminal investigation, criminal records, fingerprints, Special Branch, aliens and disorderly houses

D Dept (headed by an AC) – Organisation and recruiting

S Dept (headed by the Secretary) – Office organisation, statistics, accounts, pensions, street collections, suicides, firearms, children and animals

The Metropolitan Police Act 1933 gave the power to appoint a fifth Assistant Commissioner (one of which would be the Deputy Commissioner)

1967

By 1967, four Assistant Commissioners took charge of A, B, C and D Departments.   Some changes occurred in the period 1967 - 86:

A (Operations):

A1 – Complaints, and welfare

A2(1) – Policing methods

A2(2) – Back Hall

A3(1) -  Discipline Office, later Obscene publications branch

A3(2) - Police regulations

A3(3) – Courts

A4 – Women Police

A5 – Mounted Branch

A6 – Special Constabulary

A7 – Community Relations, MP band

A8 - Public Order;  police dog training

A9 – Special Patrol Group

A10 – Complaints investigation from 1972,  Thames division at some point later than 1977.

B (Traffic & Transport)

B1 – Commissioner’s traffic directions, traffic legislation

B2 – Accident prevention

B3 – Cabs

B4 – Traffic process

B5 –

B6 – Police National Computer, Information Room

B7 – Police transport

B8 – Traffic patrol

B9

B10 – Accident Research Branchalanmoss32@gmail.com

B11 – Road safety / legislation

B12 – Traffic Control Centre

B13

C (Crime)

C1 – Central reserve for major investigations, art & antiques, extradition, chemist supervision,

C2 – CID correspondence and case papers

C3 – Fingerprints and photography

C4 – Criminal Records Office

C5 – Crime administration and postings

C6 – Fraud Squad

C7 (- Detective Training School?)

C8 – Flying Squad

C9 – Regional Crime Squad

C10 – Stolen motor vehicles

C11 – Criminal Intelligence

C12 – Regional Crime Squad

C13 – Anti Terrorist Squad

Special Branch

Forensic Science Laboratory

D (Personnel & Training)

D1 - Recruitment

D2 – Personnel records, promotions and transfers

D3 – Welfare & MP Athletic Association

D4 – Information Room and Telegraph Office

D5 – Recruitment and careers advice - Career development - police promotion examinations

D6 – Training Admin

D7 - Cadets

D8 – Recruit Training School

D9 – Detective Training School

D10 – Driver training / Telecomms school

D11 – Firearms training / unit

D12 – Police Orders & publications

D13 – Training Planning Unit

D14 - Medical

D15 - Management training & development

Research & Planning

E (Establishment – civil staff resources))

F (Finance)

G (Supplies & Services)

S5 - Library, Reception, Deserters, Firearms licensing

S7 - Aliens registration Office

P1 – News Branch

P2 – Publicity Unit

Chief Architect & Surveyor’s Department

Chief Engineer’s Department

Computing Services

Catering

Solicitor

Force Inspectorate (formed 21 February 1967)

1977

On 1 June 1977, the introduction of the Police Complaints Bureau (later re-named Independent Police Complaints Authority) had been part of the background for re-designating A1, A10 and A3(1) to become the Complaints Investigation Bureau.   CIB1 dealt with complaints administration, CIB2  serious complaints investigation, and CIB3 disciplinary decisions.    The Director of CIB was also DAC A (Admin).

1978

C3, C4 and C5(4) were transferred to B Department and re-designated as B12, B13 and B6(3) under the command of DAC B (Technical Services)

1986

Under a major reorganisation (Force Organisation & Management Review) undertaken when Sir Kenneth Newman was Commissioner, the four police Departments became Territorial Operations (TO), Specialist Operations (SO), Management Support (MS) and Personnel & Training (PT).   The AC of TO took responsibility for eight Area DACs, each of whom commanded a number of Divisions headed by a Chief Superintendent.  The previous Districts, each headed by a Commander, were abolished.

TO1 (formerly B1) – Departmental secretariat.  Commissioner’s traffic directions.  Parliamentary Questions.   Commissioner’s Annual Report

TO2 (formerly B4(2)) – Traffic legislation unit.  TO resource management and business group support

TO4 (formerly B3) – Public Carriage Office

TO5 (formerly B9) – Central Ticket Office and fixed penalty notices

TO6 (formerly A4(1)) – Firearms, shotguns and liquor licensing

TO7 (formerly A4(2-3))– Licensing, gaming, charities, Divisional support

TO8 -  Headquarters Traffic, cab enforcement, car pounds

TO9 – Crime and Divisional policing policy, obscene publications, laboratory liaison, Police & Criminal Evidence Act (at one time TO12?)

TO10 (formerly A3(3)) – Courts, enforcement of warrants for non-payment of fines, Coroners’ officers

TO11 (formerly B11) – Prisoner Transport Service

(TO13 (formerly A3(1))– Obscene publications (later TO 9?))

(TO14 (formerly B8) – Traffic matters not dealt with by Areas (later TO8?))

(TO15 (formerly A2(1)) – Divisional guidance & coordination later part of TO9?)

TO18 – Public order training

TO20 (formerly A8(1)) - Public Order

TO21 (formerly A8(1)) – Public Order forward planning

TO22 (formerly A8(3)) – War duties

TO23 (formerly A8(3)) – Scotland Yard & Territorial security and back hall staff

TO24 (formerly A8(3)) – Counter terrorism contingency planning, specialist search teams

TO25 (formerly B6(1-2)  – Central Communications Complex

TO26 (formerly B6(3) – Air support unit

TO27 (formerly A5) – Mounted branch

TO28 (formerly A8(2)) – Police dog training and specialist dogs

TO29 – Thames Division

TO30 (formerly A7(1)) – Community involvement

TO31 (formerly A7(2)) – Police & community support groups, racial incident statistics, youth affairs and Special Constabulary

TO32 (formerly A7(3)) – Community Affairs

TO33 (formerly A7(5)) – Metropolitan Police band

SO1 (formerly C1) - Central Reserve for major investigations

SO2 (formerly C2) - Correspondence and support for Specialist Crime

SO3 (formerly C3) – Fingerprints and photography

SO4 (formerly C4) – National Identification Bureau

SO5 (formerly C5) – Central support and policy for SO Department

SO6 (formerly C6) – Fraud Squad

SO7 (formerly C7) – Forensic Science Laboratory and technical support

SO8 (formerly C8) Robbery / Flying squad

SO9 (formerly C12) – No 9 Regional Crime Squad

SO10 (formerly part of C5) – Informants, hostage negotiation, undercover detective work

SO11 (formerly C11) – Criminal intelligence branch

SO12 (formerly Special Branch)

SO13 (formerly C13) – Anti-terrorist branch

SO14 (formerly RDPD) – Royalty protection

SO15 (formerly RDPD) – Royal palaces division

SO16 (formerly RDPD) – Diplomatic protection group

SO17 (formerly RDPD) – Palace of Westminster

PT1

PT2 (formerly D2) – Manpower planning

PT3 (formerly D1 and D5(1)) - Recruitment

PT4 (formerly D2 and D5(4)) – Career management.   Force funerals

PT5

PT6  (formerly D3) - Welfare & MP Athletic Association

PT7  (formerly D6) - Training administration

PT8  (formerly D6 and D8(2)) – Training Support Services & Examinations Unit

PT9 (formerly D7) – Cadet Training

PT10 (formerly D8(1)) – Initial Training (Recruits)

PT11 (formerly D8(3))  – Physical Education Unit

PT12 (formerly D15(1)) - Management training

PT13 – Management Resource Centre

PT 15 (formerly D10(1)) – Driver Training

PT16  (formerly D10(2)) – Telecommunications training

PT17 (formerly D11) – Firearms Unit

PT18 (formerly D15(2) and D8(2))– Public Order and Home Defence Training

MS1 – Departmental and Policy Committee Secretariat

MS2 (formerly D12) -  Publications (eg Police Orders)

MS5 (formerly P1) – News branch

MS6 (formerly P2)  -  Publicity

MS7 (formerly P3)  – Public Affairs secretariat and museums

MS8 (formerly P4)  – Briefing Unit

MS9 (formerly Department of Management Services) – Management Services HQ advisory unit

MS10 (formerly DMS) – General admin, books, forms, suggestion scheme

MS11 (formerly DMS) – O & M, work study

MS12 (formerly DMS)  – Management science and psychology

MS13 (formerly DMS) – Crime reporting, duties and other computer development

MS14 (formerly CIB1) – Complaints against Police Admin

MS15 (formerly CIB2) – Complaints Investigation

MS16 (formerly CIB3) – Discipline Office

MS18 (formerly FPU / PAU)– Force Planning Unit and Policy Analysis unit

MS19 (formerly part A2(3) and A3(2) – Monitoring Support

MS21 (formerly part of B6) – Technology support

MS22 (formerly part of B6)– Technology Support (Operations)

MS23  (formerly part of A2 and B6) – Data protection and subject access.

 1989-90

 When the then Sir Peter Imbert was Commissioner, the PLUS programme was undertaken to improve the internal communications, ethos and corporate identity of the Metropolitan Police Service.    Some changes in the branches were made, and a series of Executives were created that included representatives from other parts of the organisation to make decisions more corporate and binding. 

1994-95 

When the then Sir Paul Condon was Commissioner, a Servicing Restructuring exercise took place.   The 69 divisions were reduced to 62 Operational Command Units.   The OCUs were organised to be more self-sufficient in relation to finance and budgeting.  The eight territorial Areas were reduced to five, but each headed by an AC who also undertook responsibility for a portfolio of territorial operational responsibilities at Headquarters and became members of the Policy Committee.   Major crime enquiries were largely undertaken by Area Major Investigation Pools (AMIPs).   The branches involved with territorial rather than specialist  policing  at Scotland Yard therefore changed their short titles to reflect their linkage with their AC’s Area with a CO prefix.    CO traditionally stood for ‘Commissioner’s Office’ but may later also refer to ‘Central Operations’:

No 1 Area – Public Order, Mounted Branch, clubs and vice.

No 2 Area – Community Safety and Partnership

No 3 Area – Criminal Justice, Courts, Forensic Medical Services

No 4 Area – Crime investigation policy and procedures on Areas and Divisions

No 5 Area – 24-hour response, Traffic, Thames Division

CO11 – Public Order

CO12 – Public Order Training

CO13 – Mounted Branch

CO14 – Clubs and Vice

CO20 – Community and Partnership

CO21 – Firearms and Shotgun Licensing

CO22 – Charities, Wildlife Liaison and Dangerous Drugs

CO30 – Criminal Justice

CO31 – Courts Division

CO32 – Forensic Medical Services

CO33 – Language Services

CO41 – Crime Policy Unit

CO42 - CRIS (Crime reporting system)

CO50 – HQ Traffic

CO51 – Central Ticket Office

CO52 - Thames Division

CO53 - Air Support Unit

CO54 – Specialist Dogs

CO55 – Central Communications, Command & Control

CO56 – Communications Programme

CO59 – Policy Development Unit

The Deputy Commissioner took responsibility for the Strategic Co-ordination Group:

SC1 – Administration and Support

SC2 – Strategic Planning Unit

SC3 – Policy Coordination Unit

SC4 – Corporate Information Systems

The Deputy Commissioner also took responsibility for the Directorate of Performance Review and Management Services:

CIS1 – Departmental Administration

CIS2-4 – Consultancy Services

CIS5 – Forms Design

CIS6 – Blue Print Suggestion Scheme

CIS7 – Library and Publications

CIS8 – Management Information Research and Development

CIS9 – Information Systems Strategy Support

CIS10 – Performance Information Bureau and Charter Comments

By 1995 SO Department included:

SO1 – Special Casework and Major Investigation Pool (including art and antiques, extradition, passport and illegal immigration/deportation, pornography and paedophiles, central cheque squad, stolen motor vehicles, war crimes unit.

SO2 – Departmental Support

SO3 – Scenes of crime and photography

SO4 – National Identification Bureau

SO5 – Miscellaneous Force Indexes, Missing Persons Bureau,

SO6 – Company Fraud and computer crime unit

SO7 – Forensic Science Laboratory

SO8 – Flying Squad

SO10 - Crime Operations, informants, witness protection, kidnap, blackmail, product contamination, hostage negotiation training.

SO11 – Criminal Intelligence

SO12 – Special Branch

SO13 – Anti-Terrorist Branch

SO14 – Royalty & Diplomatic Protection Department and Special Escort Group

SO15 – Royal Palaces Division

SO16 – Diplomatic Protection Group

SO17 – Palace of Westminster

SO18 – Police National Computer (PNC) Bureau

SO19 – Force Firearms Unit

SO20 – Forensic Medical Examiner Service

Under AC (Inspection & Review) branches included:

PR1 – Performance Information Bureau

PR2 – Management Information Research and development

PR3 – Information Strategy Support

MS10 – Directorate Administration

MS11 – Efficiency Studies

MS12 – Management Science Projects

MS13 – Client team Advice and Support

MS14 – Occupational Psychology Services

MS15 – Blueprint Suggestion Scheme

MS21 – Corporate Systems Development and Support

MS22 – National Systems, Data Protection and Computer Data Monitoring

MS23 – Subject Access Office

MS24 – User Input to technological Developments

INS1 – Inspectorate

INS2 – Staff Inspection Unit

CIB1 – Discipline Office

CIB2 – Complaints Investigation

Under the Director of Personnel, who by this time had combined responsibility for both police officers and civil staff, branches included:

P1 – Departmental Support

P2 – Equal Opportunities

P3  - Manpower / Strategic Resources Co-ordination and Planning

P4 – Personnel policy

P5 – Pay and grading policy / Reward Management

P6 – Police Personnel/Management/Support Programme / Employee Relations

P7 – Central recruitment

P8 – Personnel Department

P9 – Skills Training (including recruits, driving, police dogs training, management)

P10 – Personal Development

P11 – Corporate Competency Framework and Management Development

P12 – Personnel Study group and management development Consultants

OH1 - Occupational Health Secretariat

OH4 – Occupational health and Safety

OH5 – Medical Branch

OH6 – Medical Centre

OH7 – Physical Education Branch

OH8 – Welfare

CAT1 – Catering administration and personnel

CAT2 – Catering Finance

CAT3 – Catering Procurement

CAT4 – New Scotland Yard, Lambeth, 1 and 4 Areas)

CAT5 – Peel Centre, 2,3 and 5 Areas)

CAT6 – Market testing bid team

Under the Director of Finance:

F1 – Accounts

F2 – Costing

F3 – Police pay and expenses

F4 – Police pensions

F5 – Internal Audit

F6 – MPS current estimates and expenditure

F7 – MPS capital estimates and expenditure; Inner London Magistrates Courts Service (ILMCS) and Inner London Probation Service (ILPS) estimates and expenditure

F8 – Total resource budgets and FINESSE accounting system

F9 – Accounting developments

F10 – Financial policy and secretariat

F11 – Civil staff pay and sickness

F12 – Civil staff pensions

Under Director of Supplies and Services:

G1 – Registry

G2 – Typing

G3 – General Supplies

G4 – Library

G5 – Stores

G6 – Clothing

G7 – Printing

G8 – Central Property

G9 – Claims

G11 – Aliens registration

Property Services Department:

PSD 1-40 (including facilities management, new buildings, computer facilities liaison, professional services and purchasing, contractors, ILMCS, ILPS, married quarters and section houses)

Department of Technology:

TTS1-11 – Computer, radio, telephone and other systems

TQS1-2 – Quality and Training

TTR1-6 – Motor vehicles, boats, air support maintenance

TAD1-4 – Departmental finances, contracts and personnel management

TTP1-11 – Network projects

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