The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, commonly referred to simply as the Deputy Commissioner, is the second-in-command of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

Metropolitan Police Service 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 ...

. The rank is senior to Assistant Commissioner, but junior by one rank to

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 ...

. The Deputy Commissioner's salary from 1 September 2010 is £214,722, making them the second highest paid British police officer.

History

The rank of Deputy Commissioner was formally established as a separate rank, additional to the assistant commissioners, in 1931. However, the Assistant Commissioner "A" had acted as ''de facto'' deputy for some years and had been given the courtesy title of Deputy Commissioner since 1922. The Deputy Commissioner's Crown appointment continued to be Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis until at least the early 1970s. Sir Jim Starritt may have been the first officer to have been appointed Deputy Commissioner by the Crown.

Insignia

The badge of rank worn on the

epaulette Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales' ...

s by the Deputy Commissioner is unique in the

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 ...

service, this being a crown, above two small pips placed side by side, above crossed tipstaves in a wreath. This badge was introduced in 2001; before that the Deputy Commissioner wore the same rank badge as the assistant commissioners – a crown over crossed tipstaves in a wreath.

Deputy Commissioners

''Those listed in bold type became Commissioner.'' # Sir James Olive, 1922–1925 # Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Royds, 1926–1931 # The Hon. Sir Trevor Bigham, 1931–1935 # Colonel The Hon. Sir Maurice Drummond, 1935–1946 # Sir John Nott-Bower, 1946–1953 # Sir Ronald Howe, 1953–1957 # Joseph Simpson, 1957–1958 # Sir Alexander Robertson, 1958–1961 # Douglas Webb, 1961–1966 # Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Ranulph Bacon, 1966 # Sir John Waldron, 1966–1968 #

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 Met ...

, 1968–1972 # John Hill, 1972 # Sir Jim Starritt, 1972–1975 # Sir Colin Woods, 1975–1977 # Patrick Kavanagh, 1977–1983 #

Albert Laugharne Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert C ...

, 1983–1985 #

Peter Imbert Peter Michael Imbert, Baron Imbert, (27 April 1933 – 13 November 2017) was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service from 1987 to 1993, and prior to that appointment Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police from 1979 to 1985. He was t ...

, 1985–1987 # Sir John Dellow, 1987–1991 # Sir John Smith, 1991–1995 # Sir Brian Hayes, 1995–1998 # Sir John Stevens, 1998–2000 # Sir Ian Blair, 2000–2005 #

Sir Paul Stephenson Sir Paul Robert Stephenson (born 26 September 1953) is a British retired police officer who was the Metropolitan Police Commissioner from 2009 to 2011. Stephenson joined the Lancashire police in 1975 and attended the Bramshill staff training c ...

, 2005–2009 # Tim Godwin, 2009–2011 # Sir Craig Mackey, 2012–2018 # Sir Steve House, 2018–2022 (acting commissioner from 2021 to 2022) # Helen Ball, 2021–2022 (acting) # Dame Lynne Owens, 2022– (interim)

Footnotes

{{Metropolitan Police Ranks in the Metropolitan Police