City of London Police

The Thin Red Line: Why the City of London Has Its Own Police Force

When people think of policing in London, they almost always picture Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police. But if you step inside the famous "Square Mile", the historic financial heart of London, you are entering the jurisdiction of a completely different, fiercely independent force: The City of London Police.

Despite patrolling an area of just over one square mile, this tiny force has a massive history. From medieval night watches to the hunt for Jack the Ripper, this is how they came to be, and why they remain one of the most unique police forces in the world.

Keeping the Watch: The Origins

Before organised police forces existed, medieval London relied on the "Ward Watch." Created in the 1200s, this was a system of day constables and night watchmen who patrolled the city walls and gated entries.

By 1832, the city modernised this setup into the London City Police. A few years later, Parliament passed the Metropolitan Police Act, which created the famous "Peelers" (the Metropolitan Police) to cover greater London. The government initially wanted to merge the City’s force into the new Metropolitan Police, but the wealthy, independent leaders of the Square Mile fiercely resisted. They successfully fought to pass the City of London Police Act 1839, cementing their absolute independence.

Today, while the Metropolitan Police answers to the Home Secretary and the Mayor of London, the City of London Police answers directly to the City of London Corporation.

The Murder of Catherine Eddowes

The Jack the Ripper killings are widely remembered as a Whitechapel phenomenon, which placed the bulk of the case squarely under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police. However, for a few hours in the early morning of September 30, 1888—the night of the infamous "Double Event"—the killer crossed the boundary line into the Square Mile.

By murdering Catherine Eddowes in Mitre Square, the Ripper instantly dragged the City of London Police into the most notorious manhunt in British history. What followed was a tense mix of parallel investigations, procedural friction, and one legendary, middle-of-the-night showdown over a piece of graffiti.

The City Police Mobilise

When PC Edward Watkins discovered Catherine Eddowes’ brutally mutilated body at 1:44 a.m., the City of London Police mobilised immediately. Led by Detective Superintendent James McWilliam and Acting Commissioner Major Henry Smith, the City force took a highly active, independent role.

The force immediately deployed a massive wave of plainclothes detectives along the border streets separating the City from the East End, canvassing tenements, searching alleys, and questioning local butchers and slaughterhouse workers. It was this rigorous investigation that yielded what many historians consider the best physical description of the Ripper. City detectives thoroughly interviewed a witness named Joseph Lawende, who had seen Eddowes talking to a fair-haired man in a cloth cap at the entrance to Mitre Square just minutes before her death.

Furthermore, frustrated by the Home Office's refusal to offer a financial incentive for information, the City of London Corporation bypassed official government channels entirely, offering its own massive £500 reward for the capture of the killer.

The Met vs. The City: The Myth of the "Feud"

Sensational newspaper reports from the Victorian era, and many modern movies, love to depict the Met and the City Police as bitter enemies who refused to share clues out of spite. In reality, the working-level detectives cooperated remarkably well. Because the killer routinely crossed borders, Detective Inspector Frederick Abberline, the lead investigator for the Metropolitan Police, regularly shared intelligence and coordinated search efforts with Superintendent McWilliam of the City Police.

However, at the top institutional level, there was undeniable friction. The Metropolitan Police was an arm of the national government, while the City of London Police answered to the fiercely defensive, wealthy merchants of the City of London Corporation. The two forces routinely clashed over jurisdiction, credit, and prestige, and that institutional rivalry blew wide open on the night of Eddowes' murder.

The Goulston Street Graffiti Showdown

The ultimate flashpoint between the two forces occurred just a few hours after Eddowes' body was found. A Metropolitan Police constable discovered a vital clue in a doorway on Goulston Street: a blood-stained piece of an apron that had been cut from Eddowes’ body. Directly above the apron, chalked onto the black brick wall, was a cryptic message:

"The Juwes are the men That Will not be Blamed for nothing"

Because Goulston Street sat just inside Metropolitan Police territory, Metropolitan Police officers took control of the scene. However, because it was a direct clue from the Mitre Square murder, City of London Police detectives rushed to the spot, and a fierce, pre-dawn argument broke out.

Major Henry Smith of the City of London Police wanted to photograph the graffiti immediately and guard it until daylight, viewing it as the only piece of physical handwriting the killer had ever left at a crime scene. Conversely, Sir Charles Warren, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, arrived at the scene personally and feared that when the sun rose, the graffiti would ignite anti-Semitic riots across the East End's bustling Jewish population.

Overriding the furious protests of the City detectives, Warren ordered the chalk writing wiped off the wall before it could even be photographed. To this day, historians still debate whether Warren saved London from a riot or destroyed the single best piece of evidence that could have unmasked Jack the Ripper.

In a tragic footnote to the night, Catherine Eddowes had actually spent the hours leading up to her murder inside a City of London Police cell. She had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly on Aldgate High Street. At 1:00 a.m., once she had sobered up, City officers released her. Barely forty-five minutes later, she was found dead in Mitre Square.

The UK's Fraud Squad

Because the Square Mile handles billions of pounds in global financial transactions daily, the City of London Police has evolved into the UK's premier force for tracking economic crime. Today, they act as the national lead for investigating fraud, cybercrime, and intellectual property theft across the entire country.

Timeline of the primary headquarters of the City of London Police from its founding to today:

Early Watch Houses (Pre-1830s): Before the formal establishment of a uniformed force, the area was protected by the City Watch using six watch houses.

The Guildhall (1832–1840): The original headquarters of the London City Police (formed in 1832) was located here.

26 Old Jewry (1840–2002): The force moved its main headquarters to 26 Old Jewry. It operated from this central location as the force's nerve centre for over 160 years.

Moor Lane Police Station (unknown–1940): Served as a division station, but was completely destroyed in the Blitz on December 29, 1940.

Cloak Lane Police Station (unknown–1965): Operated as a key division station until it was closed and replaced.

37 Wood Street (1965–2020): Opened in 1965 to replace Cloak Lane, becoming the main headquarters for the City of London Police after they relocated from Old Jewry. It was sold and closed to be redeveloped into a hotel.

Snow Hill Police Station (unknown–2021): A well-known district station that was subsequently sold by the City Corporation to a hotel investor.

Bishopsgate Police Station (1865–Present): Originally housing the City Police Hospital until 1947, it remains an active station and the primary public facility for the force.

Currently, the operational headquarters is temporarily located at the Guildhall while long-term plans to build a new combined police headquarters and courts facility on Fleet Street progress.

Trivia: What Makes the City Police Unique?

What makes them so different from the rest of the UK's police forces? It is all in the details.

The Red Crest

While almost every other British police force uses blue as their primary corporate colour, the City of London Police uses red. You can spot this on their unique red-and-white chequered armbands and their tunic buttons. Their badges feature the City's official crest: the red cross of St. George alongside a sword, which represents the martyrdom of St. Paul, the city's patron saint.

Gold Badges and "The Comb"

Instead of the silver Brunswick Star badge worn by the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police officers wear a distinct gold-coloured badge. Furthermore, their helmets feature a raised crest or "comb" running along the top, rather than the traditional round boss found elsewhere in the UK.

Olympic Champions

In the early 20th century, the force was famous for its exceptionally dominant tug-of-war team. They were so successful that they represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games:

• 1908 London Olympics: Won Gold, defeating the Liverpool City Police in the final. 
• 1912 Stockholm Olympics: Won Silver (competing as a joint City/Metropolitan Police squad).
• 1920 Antwerp Olympics: Won Gold, defeating the Netherlands to capture the final Olympic title, while representing Great Britain. 

After 1920, the tug-of-war competition was permanently dropped from the Olympic program. Because of this, the City of London Police force remains the reigning Olympic champion to this day.