Police Authority
Policing the Square Mile
The City of London is home to over 8,000 residents and an additional 500,000 City workers, visitors, and commuters travel to or through the City every day. In recent years, the City has also developed into a major tourist destination with a vibrant night time economy, attracting around 4m visitors a year.
The City of London Police is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of all these individuals while they are within the City’s boundaries. The force also leads nationally on fraud and economic crime, which includes delivering the UK‘s national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre, Action Fraud. There are over 1,000 officers and staff in the City of London Police delivering these local and national services.
Both the City of London Corporation and the City of London Police organise regular events to engage with residents and businesses in the City and obtain views on what our local policing priorities should be (these are detailed in the Force’s Policing Plan, progress against which is reported in their Annual Report).
To achieve outcomes that matter to local people, the City Corporation is able to draw from expertise in the wide-ranging areas of services it provides and establish effective and strong partnership working, for example, through the Safer City Partnership.
Recent years have seen wide-ranging reforms of policing governance, including the introduction of directly-elected individuals (Police and Crime Commissioners) in 2012. They are collectively represented by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). While these reforms did not apply to the City Corporation (so it remains one of the few remaining Police Authorities in England and Wales), it is a member of the APCC.
The City of London Corporation’s Court of Common Council is the Police Authority for the Square Mile as set out in the City of London Police Act 1839. The Court delegates this duty (except for the appointment of the Police Commissioner) to the Police Authority Board and its sub-committees (Performance and Resource Management; Professional Standards and Integrity; Economic Crime Board; and Police Pensions Board).
The role of the Police Committee is to ensure:
- the City of London Police runs an effective and efficient service by holding the Commissioner to account
- value for money in the way the police is run
- policing priorities are set taking into account the views of the community
Officers
Chief Executive
The Town Clerk and Chief Executive of the City of London Corporation, John Barradell, is responsible for overseeing all Police Authority staff, and works closely with the Chairman of the Police Committee and all Members to ensure that there is an effective and efficient police service in the City.
Treasurer
Peter Kane, the Chamberlain of London, is the Section 151 Officer for the City of London Police Authority, and performs the functions of the Treasurer to the Authority.
Monitoring Officer
Michael Cogher, Comptroller and City Solicitor
Police Authority Officers
- Alex Orme, Policy Manager
- Oliver Bolton, Policy Officer
- Rachael Waldron, Compliance Lead
Independent Custody Visitors (ICVs) are trained volunteers that visit police stations unannounced to check on the treatment and welfare of people held in police custody.
ICV recommendations can require the police to make improvements to aid the welfare of detainees. Working as part of a panel, they play a valuable role in maintaining public confidence in this important area of policing by making sure that detainees are treated well.
Independent Custody Visiting Scheme Guidelines PDF (213KB)
Date submitted: 10/31/19The City of London currently has one Police custody suite at Bishopsgate Police Station and the panel, of up to 12 members, visit this suite announced on a regular basis.
Independent Custody Visitor Application PDF (122KB)
Date submitted: 10/31/19If you are interested in joining the panel, fill in the application form for the role and email it back to us. For further details, contact icv@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Independent Custody Visitor Annual Report 2018-19 PDF (268KB)
Date submitted: 10/31/19Updates on the current progress of the ICV Panel.
Make a complaint
Please note that the Police Authority does not deal with complaints about the Force, except for specific complaints about the conduct of the Commissioner.
To make a complaint about the City of London Police, go to the Independent Office for Police Conduct website.
If you would like to make a complaint about a member of staff in the Police Authority, email Complaints and feedback
Reviews of complaints about the Police
From 1 February 2020 the Police Authority is the responsible review body for Police Reviews (previously known as appeals).
A joint review between the City Corporation and the City of London Police was launched into Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. The review was led by Sir Craig Mackey, the former Chief Constable of Cumbria Police and former Deputy Commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. It examined the governance and oversight of Action Fraud, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, and any wider policing issues linked to the policing of fraud.
Action Fraud Report
Date submitted: 1/31/20A review of the national ‘lead force’ responsibilities of the City of London Police and the effectiveness of investigations in the UK.
Action Fraud Report appendix
Date submitted: 1/31/20The New Futures Programme