Divisions 1965-1980

Divisions in 1860s   1880-1896   1903-1920   1921-1929   1931-1933   1946-1958   1965   1985-1986   1993-1994   2000   2018-2019

1 April 1965 reorganisation

 A reorganisation took place in 1965 that, amongst other things, linked police boundaries to local authority areas when the Greater London Council replaced the former London County Council (PO 6 August 1964).    This was a major local government reorganisation that introduced the modern London boroughs.   It marked the main modern start of the process of aligning MPS Divisions, within the outer boundary of the MPD, with Local Authority areas.  Some police stations transferred from one division to another to enable the new London boroughs to relate to no more than one police division.   Police divisions had previously been organised solely for policing purposes. 

Part of Essex was transferred to K Division.   A new Q Division was formed in the Kilburn to Edgware area.  It was also a time when the Metropolitan Police began to come under pressure from the Home Office to reorganise its management structure.   PA Management Consultants made a recommendation that there should be eight Areas, each of eight Divisions (‘eight by eight’), but the recent upheavals made more reorganisation unpalatable at the time. 

The Metropolitan Police List of April 1965 set out the Divisions as shown below.   Each Division was commanded by a Chief Superintendent, and there were four Districts with a Commander in charge.  Each Division and station had a station code, and the headquarters of the division was shown by the letter D.   So, for example, Cannon Row, the Divisional HQ for A Division, had the code AD.   The Divisional Headquarters were sometimes at relatively small stations.  Smaller stations may be part of Sub Divisions.   

 

Division

District

Sub Divisions / Stations

A

1

Cannon Row (AD), Rochester Row (AR), Gerald Road (AL), Hyde Park (AH)

B

1

Chelsea (BD), Kensington (BK), Notting Hill (BH)

C

1

West End Central 1 (CD1), West End Central 2 (CD2), Bow Street (CB)

D

1

Harrow Road (DR), Paddington (DP), Marylebone Lane (DM) St John’s Wood (DD)

E

2

Albany Street (ED), Tottenham Court Road (ET), Grays Inn Road (EG), Hampstead (EH), West Hampstead (EW), Kentish Town (EK)

F

1

Fulham (FF), Hammersmith (FD), Shepherd’s Bush (FS)

G

3

City Road (GD), Old Street (GS), Hackney (GH), Dalston (GA), Stoke Newington (GN)

H

3

Arbour Square (HD), Bow (HW), Commercial Street (GC), Leman Street (HL), Bethnal Green (HB), Limehouse (HH), Poplar (HP), Isle of Dogs (HI)

J

3

Leyton (JD), Leytonstone (JS), Walthamstow (JW), Chingford (JC), Waltham Abbey (JA), Ilford (JI), Chadwell Heath (JH), Wanstead (JN), Barkingside (JB), Woodford (JF), Claybury (JY), Loughton (JO)

K

3

Romford (KR, later KD), East Ham (KE), Plaistow (KO), North Woolwich (KN), Collier Row (KL), Harold Hill (KA), Plough Corner (KP), Hornchurch (KC), Rainham (KM), Upminster (KU), Dagenham (KG), Barking (KB), West Ham (KW), Forest Gate (KF)

L

4

Brixton (LD), Kennington Road (LK), Clapham (LM), Balham (LB), Streatham (LS), Gipsy Hill (LG)

M

4

Southwark (MD), Tower Bridge (MT), Rotherhithe (MR), Carter Street (MS), Camberwell (MC), Peckham (MM), East Dulwich (ME), West Dulwich (MW)

N

3

Kings Cross Road (ND), Caledonian Road NC), Islington (NI), Holloway (NH) Highbury Vale (NV)

P

4

Catford (PD), Lee Road (PE), Sydenham (PS), Lewisham (PL), Deptford (PP), Brockley (PK), Bromley (PR), Beckenham (PB), Penge (PG), St Mary Cray (PM), Chislehurst (PC), Farnborough (PF), Knockholt (PT - until 1969 transfer to Kent)

Q

2

Wembley (QD), Harlesden (QH), Willesden Green (QL), Kilburn (QK), Harrow (QA), Pinner (QP), Edgware (QE), Wealdstone (QW), Bushey (QB)

R

4

Greenwich (RD), Westcombe Park (RK), Woolwich (RW), Eltham (RM),  Shooter’s Hill (RH), Plumstead (RP), Bexleyheath (RB), Belvedere (RB) Erith(RE), Sidcup (RS)

S

2

Golders Green (SD), Finchley (SF), West Hendon (SW), Hendon (SN), Mill Hill (SI), Elstree (SL), Boreham Wood (SR), Barnet (SA), Whetstone (ST), South Mimms (SM), Potters Bar (SP)

T

1

Hounslow (TD), Feltham (TF), Brentford (TB), Chiswick (TC), Teddington (TT), Hampton (TM), Richmond (TR), Barnes (TN), Staines (TE), Twickenham (TW), Sunbury (TY)

V

4

Kingston (VK), New Malden (VN), Wimbledon (VD), Mitcham (VM), Cobham (VC), Surbiton (VS), East Molesey (VE), Esher (VH)

W

4

Tooting (WD), Earlsfield (WF), Wandsworth Common (WC), Putney (WP), Wandsworth (WW), Battersea (WA), Lavender Hill (WL), Nine Elms (WN)

X

2

Ealing (XD), Acton (XA), Greenford (XG), Southall (XS), Norwood Green (XN),    Ruislip (XR), Northwood (XN), Hayes (XY), Harlington/West Drayton (XT), Uxbridge (XU)

Y

2

Wood Green (YD), Tottenham (YT), Hornsey (YR), Muswell Hill (YM), Highgate (YH), St Ann’s Road (YA), Edmonton (YE), Winchmore Hill (YW), Southgate (YS), New Southgate (YS), Enfield (YE), Enfield Highway (YI), Cheshunt (YC)

Z

4

Croydon (ZD), Kenley (ZK), Norbury (ZN), South Norwood (ZS), Sutton (ZT), Wallington (ZW), Epsom (ZP), Banstead (ZB)

Thames

3

Wapping (UD), Waterloo Pier (UW), Barnes (UB), Blackwall (UL), Erith (UE)

K and V Divisional headquarters were subject to building works with uncertainty about completion prior to the change.    

 

 

1969 

In 1969, Police Orders of 27 May announced the regrading of ranks with effect from 1 June.   This was aimed at achieving comparability with Police Forces outside London.   Commanders became Deputy Assistant Commissioners. Deputy Commanders, and Chief Superintendents (many of whom were on command of Divisions), became Commanders. Superintendents (often in charge of sub-Divisions) became Chief Superintendents.    For a period of time there were no Superintendents.    Later, Divisions were renamed Districts, the four Districts then becoming known as Areas.    

Heathrow Airport 1974 

Responsibility for policing Heathrow airport was transferred to the Metropolitan Police on 1 November 1974 when it became a District in its own right comprising Heathrow, with parts of West Drayton and Staines  (PO 31 October 1974).    The Division was known as Airport Division (AD)  with a telegraph code ID. 

Epsom and Sutton 1980 

Epsom and Sutton were combined into one Division, with Sutton becoming a sub-division of the new Division.

Divisions in 1860s   1880-1896   1903-1920   1921-1929   1931-1933   1946-1958   1965   1985-1986   1993-1994   2000   2018-2019