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 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 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 military rank, rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''sh ...

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 Metr ...

, 1968–1972 #

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 ...

, 1972 # Sir Jim Starritt, 1972–1975 # Sir Colin Woods, 1975–1977 #

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 ...

, 1977–1983 # Albert Laugharne, 1983–1985 #

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 ...

, 1985–1987 # Sir John Dellow, 1987–1991 # Sir John Smith, 1991–1995 # Sir Brian Hayes, 1995–1998 #

Sir John Stevens John Arthur Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, (born 21 October 1942) was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (head of the Metropolitan Police Service) from 2000 until 2005. From 1991 to 1996, he was Chief Constable of Northum ...

, 1998–2000 #

Sir Ian Blair Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, (born 19 March 1953) is a British retired policeman who held the position of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest-ranking officer within the Metropolitan Pol ...

, 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 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 ...

, 2009–2011 # Sir Craig Mackey, 2012–2018 # Sir Steve House, 2018–2022 (acting commissioner from 2021 to 2022) #

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 Police of the Metropolis, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. A ...

, 2021–2022 (acting) # Dame Lynne Owens, 2022– (interim)

Footnotes

{{Metropolitan Police Ranks in the Metropolitan Police