Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just Assistant Commissioner (AC), is the third highest rank in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

, ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant Commissioner. There are usually four officers in the rank. However, as of March 2022 there are five due to the continuing secondment of Assistant Commissioner

Rob Beckley Robert Benjamin "Rob" Beckley (born August 20, 1975) is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Christian rock band Pillar (band), Pillar, which was voted Best Hard Rock Band in ''CCM Magazines 2006 Reader's Choice Awards. Beckley started ...

to Operation Resolve, the criminal investigation into the

Hillsborough Disaster The Hillsborough disaster was a fatal human crush during a football match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989. It occurred during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in the ...

. There have also at times been five in the past. From 1 September 2016 the salary is £198,823 (plus £2,373 allowance). This does not include use of private car and pension contributions. This makes them the equal fifth highest paid police officers in the United Kingdom, behind the Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner, the Chief Constable of

Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

, and the Chief Constable of the

Police Service of Northern Ireland The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI; ga, Seirbhís Póilíneachta Thuaisceart Éireann; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ') is the police, police force that serves Northern Ireland. It is the successor to the Royal Ulster Constabu ...

, and alongside the chief constables of

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

and

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

19th century

The rank of assistant commissioner was introduced by the Police Act 1856, which abolished the two joint commissioners and established a single

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

(Sir

Richard Mayne Sir Richard Mayne KCB (27 November 1796 – 26 December 1868) was a barrister and the joint first Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police (1829–1868). With an incumbency of 39 years, he was a ...

) assisted by two assistant commissioners. The Assistant Commissioner (Administrative) was in charge of administration and discipline. The Assistant Commissioner (Executive) was in charge of executive business, supplies and buildings. The first two men to fill these posts were Lieutenant-Colonel

Douglas Labalmondière Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas William Parish Labalmondière CB (3 June 1815 – 8 March 1893) was the first Assistant Commissioner (Administrative) of the London Metropolitan Police and acted as Commissioner for three months in 1868–1 ...

and Captain William C. Harris respectively. Like the Commissioner, the assistant commissioners were sworn in as

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, although they could not try criminal cases. This continued until 1973. Like the Commissioner, the assistant commissioners were mainly appointed from outside the police until well into the 20th century, although career police officers could and sometimes did rise to the rank. In 1878,

Howard Vincent Colonel Sir Charles Edward Howard Vincent (31 May 1849 – 7 April 1908), known as Howard Vincent or C. E. Howard Vincent, was a British soldier, barrister, police official and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1 ...

was appointed Director of Criminal Intelligence, a post that had equal rank to the assistant commissioners, but not the title. On his resignation in 1884, his post was replaced by a third assistant commissioner, the Assistant Commissioner (Crime).

Lettered departments

In 1909, Commissioner Sir

Edward Henry Sir Edward Richard Henry, 1st Baronet, (26 July 1850 – 19 February 1931) was the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (head of the Metropolitan Police of London) from 1903 to 1918. His commission saw the introduction of police dogs to ...

, realising that the assistant commissioners' workload was becoming too great, appointed a fourth assistant commissioner, who took over some of the duties of the Assistant Commissioner (Executive). The four became known as Assistant Commissioners "A", "B", "C" and "L", heading departments with the same letter designations. Assistant Commissioner "A" effectively acted as Deputy Commissioner until 1931, when a separate Deputy Commissioner was appointed. From 1922 until 1931, Assistant Commissioner "A" was generally known as the Deputy Commissioner. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Assistant Commissioner "B" became responsible solely for traffic and lost property, with his other former duties divided between Assistant Commissioners "A" and "L". Assistant Commissioner "L" was responsible for "L" (Legal) Department until its reorganisation in 1931. After 1931, he was renamed Assistant Commissioner "D" and became responsible for policy and planning. By the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Assistant Commissioner "A" (Operations and Administration) was responsible for all uniformed police, including specialist units, except traffic police, which were under Assistant Commissioner "B" (Traffic). Assistant Commissioner "C" (Crime) headed the

Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of b ...

(CID), and Assistant Commissioner "D" (Personnel and Training) was responsible for recruitment, training, welfare, communications and police dogs. In 1970, Commissioner Sir John Waldron designated Assistant Commissioner "D" as the senior Assistant Commissioner. As policing became more technical, Assistant Commissioner "B" also became responsible for technical support.

Reorganisation in the 1980s and 1990s

In 1985, Commissioner Sir

Kenneth Newman Sir Kenneth Leslie Newman (15 August 1926 – 4 February 2017) was a senior British police officer. He was Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) from 1976 to 1980, and Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1982 to 1 ...

finally abolished the system of lettered departments. He redesignated the four Assistant Commissioners as: *Assistant Commissioner Territorial Operations (ACTO), in charge of all uniformed and CID units based on the divisions. *Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO), in charge of all specialised and centralised uniformed and CID units. *Assistant Commissioner Personnel and Training (ACPT), in charge of all personnel issues, including recruitment, training and welfare. *Assistant Commissioner Management Support (ACMS), in charge of strategic planning, management services, public relations and a number of other miscellaneous departments. In 1992, with increasing focus on the Met's image and quality of service, Commissioner Sir

Peter Imbert Peter Michael Imbert, Baron Imbert, (27 April 1933 – 13 November 2017) was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service from 1987 to 1993, and prior to that appointment Chief Constable of Thames Va ...

redesignated the ACMS as Assistant Commissioner Inspection and Review (ACIR), in charge of collecting performance data from across the

Metropolitan Police District The Metropolitan Police District (MPD) is the police area which is policed by the Metropolitan Police Service in London. It currently consists of the Greater London region, excluding the City of London. The Metropolitan Police District was create ...

. In 1995, Commissioner Sir

Paul Condon Paul Leslie Condon, Baron Condon, (born 10 March 1947) is a British retired police officer. He was the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1993 to 2000. Education Condon read Jurisprudence at St Peter's College, Oxford and was made ...

introduced the widest-ranging reorganisation when he increased the number of assistant commissioners to six. The previous eight Areas, each commanded by a deputy assistant commissioner (DAC), were reduced to five, each commanded by an assistant commissioner, designated AC 1 to 5. Each assistant commissioner also had force-wide responsibility for a 'portfolio' (such as crime or traffic), setting force policy and managing related headquarters branches. ACSO remained outside the area system and continued to manage the

Specialist Operations The Specialist Operations directorate is a unit of the Metropolitan Police of London, UK responsible for providing specialist policing capabilities including national security and counter-terrorism operations. The Specialist Operations Directorate ...

units.

Organisation restructuring in the 21st century

In 2000, the system changed again, with policing restructured around the

boroughs A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

and the areas being abolished. The six assistant commissioners were reduced to four again. With the creation of the

Specialist Crime Directorate The Specialist Crime Directorate (SCD) was one of the main branches of London's Metropolitan Police Service. It provided highly visible specialist policing services across the whole of London. Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley had previously le ...

under its own assistant commissioner in 2002, there were five assistant commissioners, although this was once again reduced to four in 2008. In 2011, the number was briefly increased to five again, then reduced to four once more. The posts have held varying designations since 2000, with the ACSO being the only post to have remained since the initial reorganisation in 1985. The assistant commissioners are considered to hold equal rank to the chief constables of other

British police Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional po ...

forces and wear the same rank insignia: a crown over crossed tipstaves in a wreath.

Assistant commissioners from 1856 to 1985

These positions existed concurrently.

Assistant Commissioners "A"

* Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas Labalmondière, 1856–1884 * Sir Alexander Carmichael Bruce, 1884–1914 * Frank Elliott, 1914–1918 * Brigadier-General William Horwood, 1918–1920 * Sir James Olive, 1920–1925 * Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Royds, 1926–1931 * Sir Trevor Bigham, 1931 * Lieutenant-Colonel David Allan, 1931 * Brigadier James Whitehead, 1933–1938 * Lieutenant-Colonel John Carter, 1938–1940 *

John Nott-Bower Sir John Reginald Hornby Nott-Bower (16 March 1892 – 3 October 1972) was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, the head of the London Metropolitan Police, from 1953 to 1958. He was the first career police officer to hold this post. Early ...

, 1940–1945 * Major John Ferguson, 1945–1946 * Major Sir Philip Margetson, 1946–1957 * Alexander Robertson, 1957–1958 * Douglas Webb, 1958–1961 * Lieutenant-Colonel Ranulph Bacon, 1961–1963 * Sir John Waldron, 1963–1966 *

John Hill John Hill may refer to: Business * John Henry Hill (1791–1882), American businessman, educator and missionary * John Hill (planter) (1824–1910), Scottish-born American industrialist and planter * John Hill (businessman) (1847–1926), Austral ...

, 1966–1968 * Andrew Way, 1968–1969 * James Starritt, 1970–1972 * John Mastel, 1972–1976 * Wilford Gibson, 1977–1984 *

Geoffrey Dear Geoffrey James Dear, Baron Dear, (born 20 September 1937) is a crossbench peer and retired British police officer who is a former Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. He was described by the broadcaster and writer Sir Robin Day as "the b ...

, 1984–1985

Assistant Commissioners "B"

* Captain William C. Harris, 1856–1881 * Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Pearson, 1881–1890 * Sir Charles Howard, 1890–1902 * Major Sir Frederick Wodehouse, 1902–1918 * Frank Elliott, 1918–1931 * Sir Alker Tripp, 1932–1947 * Sir Henry Dalton, 1947–1956 * Joseph Simpson, 1956–1957 * Douglas Webb, 1957–1958 * John Waldron, 1958–1963 * Andrew Way, 1963–1968 *

Robert Mark Sir Robert Mark (13 March 1917 – 30 September 2010) was a senior British police officer who served as Chief Constable of Leicester City Police, and later as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1972 to 1977. Mark was the first Metr ...

, 1968 * James Starritt, 1968–1970 *

Colin Woods Sir Colin Philip Joseph Woods (20 April 1920 – 27 January 2001) was an English police officer in the London Metropolitan Police who was also the first Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, from 1979 to 1982. Born in London, Woods ...

, 1970–1972 * Henry Hunt, 1972–1974 *

Patrick Kavanagh Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel '' Tarry Flynn'', and the poems "On Raglan Road" and "The Great Hunger". He is known for his accounts of Irish life t ...

, 1974–1977 * Jock Wilson, 1977–1982 *

John Dellow Sir John Albert Dellow (5 June 1931 – 30 December 2022) was a British police officer. Dellow was born in London and educated at William Ellis School, Highgate, and the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe. After leaving school, he worked for She ...

, 1982–1984 * Colin Sutton, 1984–1985

Assistant Commissioners "C"

James Monro James Monro (1838 – 28 January 1920) was a lawyer who became the first Assistant Commissioner (Crime) of the London Metropolitan Police and also served as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 1888 to 1890. Early career Monro was ...

, 1884–1888 * Sir Robert Anderson, 1888–1901 *

, 1901–1903 * Sir Melville Macnaghten, 1903–1913 * Sir Basil Thomson, 1913–1921 * Major-General Sir Wyndham Childs, 1921–1928 * Sir Trevor Bigham, 1928–1931 * Sir Norman Kendal, 1931–1945 * Ronald Howe, 1945–1953 * Sir Joe Jackson, 1953–1963 * Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ranulph Bacon, 1963–1966 * Peter Brodie, 1966–1972 *

, 1972–1975 * Jock Wilson, 1975–1977 *

Gilbert Kelland Gilbert James Kelland (17 March 1924 – 30 August 1997) was a British police officer in the Metropolitan Police in London. Kelland grew up in North Devon and was educated at Georgeham Church School and Braunton Secondary Modern School. He ...

, 1977–1984 *

, 1984–1985

Assistant Commissioners "L/D"

* Frederick Bullock, 1909–1914 *

Trevor Bigham Sir Frank Trevor Roger Bigham, KBE, CB (22 May 1876 – 23 November 1954) was an English barrister, an Assistant Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police from 1914 to 1931, and Deputy Commissioner from 1931 to 1935. He was the first of ...

, 1914–1928 * Norman Kendal, 1928–1931 * Major Maurice Tomlin, 1932–1933 * Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Percy Laurie, 1933–1936 *

Sir George Abbiss ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...

, 1936–1946 * Major Philip Margetson, 1946 * Colonel Arthur Young, 1947–1950 * Brigadier John Rymer-Jones, 1950–1959 * Tom Mahir, 1959–1967 *

, 1967–1968 *

, 1968–1972 * John Mastel, 1972 * John Alderson, 1973 * Henry Hunt, 1974–1978 * John Gerrard, 1978–1981 *

, 1981–1984 * Geoffrey McLean, 1984–1985

Assistant commissioners from 1985 onwards

These were not all concurrently existing positions.

Areas

Assistant Commissioner Central Area (1)

* Tony Speed, 1994–1999

Assistant Commissioners North-West Area (2)

Bill Skitt Baden Henry Skitt (5 December 1941 – 7 December 2016), known as Bill Skitt,Obituary, '' Daily Telegraph'', 19 January 2017 was a British police officer. Early life, education and teaching career Skitt was born in Cannock, Staffordshire, the so ...

, 1994–1997 *

Anderson Dunn Anderson Dunn (born 6 May 1944) is a retired British police officer. Dunn was adopted by William Rennie and his wife Wilma (née Turner).Biography, ''Who's Who'' He joined the Metropolitan Police in London as a constable in 1963 and rose through t ...

, 1997–2000

Assistant Commissioners North-East Area (3)

, 1994–1997 * Paul Manning, 1997–2000

Assistant Commissioner South-East Area (4)

* Ian Johnston, 1994–2000

Assistant Commissioners South-West Area (5)

* Paul Manning, 1994–1997 * Denis O'Connor, 1997–2000

Portfolios

Assistant Commissioners Specialist Operations

, 1985–1987 * Hugh Annesley, 1987–1989 * John Smith, 1989–1990 * William Taylor, 1990–1994 * Sir David Veness, 1994–2005 *

Andy Hayman Andrew Christopher Hayman CBE QPM (born 1959) is a retired British police officer and author of ''The Terrorist Hunters''. Hayman held the rank of Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary and Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations at ...

, 2005–2007 * Bob Quick, 2008–2009 * John Yates, 2009–2011 *

Cressida Dick Dame Cressida Rose Dick (born 16 October 1960) is a British retired senior police officer who served as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2017 to 2022. She is both the first female and first openly homosexual officer to lead the M ...

, 2011–2014 *

Mark Rowley Sir Mark Peter Rowley (born November 1964) is a British senior police officer who has been the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis since September 2022. He was the Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for Specialist Operati ...

, 2014–2018 *

Neil Basu Anil Kanti "Neil" Basu (born 1968) is a senior British police officer. Basu is currently a Non-Executive Director of the College of Policing, leading the strategic command course which prepares police officers and staff for promotion to the mos ...

, 2018–2021 * Matt Jukes, 2021–

Assistant Commissioners Territorial Operations

* Geoffrey McLean, 1985–1990 * Robert Hunt, 1991–1995

Assistant Commissioners Management Support

* Colin Sutton, 1985–1987 * John Smith, 1987–1989 * Peter Winship, 1989–1992

Assistant Commissioners Personnel and Training

* Hugh Annesley, 1985–1987 * Colin Sutton, 1987–1988 * Wyn Jones, 1989–1993

Assistant Commissioner Inspection and Review

* Peter Winship, 1992–1995

Assistant Commissioner Strategic Development

, 2000–2001

Assistant Commissioners Territorial Policing

* Ian Johnston, 2000–2001 *

Michael J. Todd Michael James Todd QPM (10 August 1957 – 11 March 2008Michael ...

, 2001–2003 *

Tim Godwin Timothy John Godwin OBE QPM is a former British police officer, who served as Deputy Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service, from July 2009 until November 2011. He held the post of Acting Commissioner, following the resignation ...

, 2003–2009 * Rose Fitzpatrick, 2009 (temporary) *

Ian McPherson Ian MacPherson, Macpherson or McPherson may refer to: * Ian Macpherson, 1st Baron Strathcarron (1880–1937), British lawyer and politician * Ian Macpherson (novelist) (1905–1944), Scottish novelist * Ian McPherson (footballer) (1920–1983), Sco ...

, 2009–2011 *

Simon Byrne Simon Byrne (1806 – 2 June 1833), nicknamed "The Emerald Gem", was an Irish bare-knuckle prize fighter. The heavyweight boxing champion of Ireland, he was drawn to England by the larger sums of prize money on offer and his hopes of becomin ...

, 2011–2014 * Helen King, 2014–2016 * Martin Hewitt, 2016–2018

Assistant Commissioners Policy, Review and Standards

Michael J. Todd Michael James Todd QPM (10 August 1957 – 11 March 2008Michael ...

, 2000–2001 *

Tarique Ghaffur Tarique Ghaffur (; born 8 June 1958) is a former Ugandan-born British police officer in London's Metropolitan Police Service. His last post was that of Assistant Commissioner–Central Operations. Biography Born in Jinja, Uganda to Muslim ...

, 2001–2002

Assistant Commissioner Human Resources

Bernard Hogan-Howe Bernard Hogan-Howe, Baron Hogan-Howe, (born 25 October 1957) is an English former police officer and was the head of London's Metropolitan Police as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2011 until 2017. Born in Sheffield, Hogan-Howe ...

, 2001–2004

Assistant Commissioners Specialist Crime

, 2002–2006 * Stephen House, 2006–2007 * John Yates, 2007–2009 *

, 2009–2011

Assistant Commissioners Central Operations

* Stephen House, 2005–2006 *

, 2006–2008 *

Chris Allison Christopher John Allison (born 1961) is a British record producer and founder/head of Sonic360 Records. His work has been associated with artists such as The Beta Band, Coldplay, Walter Becker, Kinky, Plastilina Mosh, Emmanuel Jal, The Wedding ...

, 2008–2010 *

Lynne Owens Dame Lynne Gillian Owens, (born 29 January 1969) is a senior law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom. She served as Director-General of the National Crime Agency from 2016 to 2021, making her one of the most senior law enforcement chiefs ...

, 2010–2011

Assistant Commissioner Service Improvement

* Alan Brown, 2005–2006

Assistant Commissioner Professional Standards and Intelligence

* John Yates, 2006–2007

Assistant Commissioners Operational Services

* John Yates, 2007 *

Alf Hitchcock Alfred Henry Hitchcock (1958 – 16 June 2017) was a British police officer. Hitchcock joined Lancashire Constabulary as a constable in 1977 just before his 19th birthday. He rose through the ranks to superintendent and served as associate dire ...

, 2007–2008 (acting)

Assistant Commissioner Olympics and Paralympics

, 2011–2013

Assistant Commissioners Central Operations and Specialist Crime

, 2011 *

, 2011–2014

Assistant Commissioner Operation Resolve

* Jon Stoddart, 2012–2016 *

, 2016–

Assistant Commissioner Professionalism

* Martin Hewitt, 2014–2016 * Helen King, 2016–2017 * Fiona Taylor, 2017 (temporary) *

Helen Ball Helen Ball (born April 1961) is a retired senior British police officer. During part of her final year in policing she served as Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. At a national level she has been senior coordinat ...

, 2017–2021 * Amanda Pearson, 2021–2022 (temporary) * Barbara Gray, 2022–

Assistant Commissioners Specialist Crime and Operations

, 2014–2015 *

Pat Gallan Patricia Ferguson Gallan QPM (born 26 October 1965) is a former British police officer who served as Assistant Commissioner Specialist Crime and Operations of the Metropolitan Police in London. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Commiss ...

, 2015–2018

Assistant Commissioners Frontline Policing

* Martin Hewitt, 2018 * Mark Simmons, 2018–2020 * Nick Ephgrave, 2020–2022 *

Louisa Rolfe Louisa Rolfe (born November 1969) is a senior British police officer. She currently serves as Assistant Commissioner for Met Operations in the Metropolitan Police, having been Deputy Chief Constable of West Midlands Police from 2016 - 2020. L ...

, 2022–

Assistant Commissioners Met Operations

* Sir Stephen House, 2018 * Nick Ephgrave, 2018–2020 *

, 2020–2022 *

Matt Twist Matt Twist is a senior British police officer, serving in the Metropolitan Police from 1996 to 2013 and 2016 to the present, with the intervening period spent in Surrey Police. It was announced in September 2022 that he would become Temporary As ...

, 2022– (temporary)

Assistant Commissioner COVID-19 response

* Mark Simmons, 2020

Assistant Commissioner Transformation

* Matt Jukes, 2020–2021

Footnotes

{{Metropolitan Police Ranks in the Metropolitan Police