The Metropolitan Police Service provides policing services to Greater London. The police force area covers 607 square miles in the south east of England. Although there are areas of acute deprivation within the force area there are also areas of extreme affluence. Around 8.7 million people live in a predominantly urban setting. The force covers the urban conurbation of Greater London, including the City of Westminster. The resident population is ethnically very diverse, with 40 percent from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, and is increased by a very large number of university students and the very large numbers who visit, socialise in, commute into, or travel through the area each year. The transport infrastructure includes major rail stations, public transport hubs and major airports.
HMICFRS independently assesses police forces and policing across activity from neighbourhood teams to serious crime and the fight against terrorism – in the public interest.
In preparing our reports, we ask the questions which citizens would ask, and publish the answers in accessible form, using our expertise to interpret the evidence. We provide authoritative information to allow the public to compare the performance of their force against others, and our evidence is used to drive improvements in the service to the public.
Force Area |
607 square miles | |
Population |
8.53m people | 15% local 10 yr change |
Workforce |
81% frontline | 78% national level |
| 5.3 per 1000 population | 3.6 national level | |
| 14% change in local workforce since 2010 | 15% national change since 2010 |
Victim-based crimes |
0.07 per person | 0.06 national level |
| Local 5 year trend | National 5 year trend (no change) |
Cost |
87p per person per day local | 55p per person per day national |
Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Sophie Linden
Commissioner Cressida Dick CBE, QPM, appointed in April 2017
