The Receiver, formally called The Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District (and sometimes referred to early in the post's existence as the Receiver-General), was until 2000 the chief financial officer of the

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 ...

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 ...

, the

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of the Metropolitan Police Fund. He was always a civilian, not a police officer. The Receiver's title came from the fact that his original role was to 'receive' money raised from the

rates Rate or rates may refer to: Finance * Rates (tax), a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom used to fund local government * Exchange rate, rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another Mathematics and science * Rate (mathema ...

of 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 creat ...

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

es. The Receiver was appointed by the

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. All the property of the Metropolitan Police was technically owned by the holder of the post of Receiver, who had the legal status of a

corporation sole A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single ("sole") incorporated office, occupied by a single ("sole") natural person.

. All

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

s were made in his name and all purchases, sales and contracts required his approval. He had equal status with the

Commissioners 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 ...

. This had the advantage that the police, holding no property themselves, were protected from accusations of

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. In 1839, the Receiver also became responsible for the administration of the

police courts In England and Wales, a magistrates' court is a lower court which hears matters relating to summary offences and some triable either-way matters. Some civil law issues are also decided here, notably family proceedings. In 2015, there were ro ...

. The system started to break down after the retirement of the first Receiver, John Wray, in 1860. Wray had worked well with the Commissioners, but his successors had increasingly bad relations with them, despite the

Metropolitan Police Act 1861 Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

further codifying the role of Receiver. This came to a head under Commissioner Sir

Charles Warren General Sir Charles Warren, (7 February 1840 – 21 January 1927) was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of the Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of the Temple Mount. Much of his mi ...

, a soldier who was accustomed to exercising full authority, and intensely disliked having to clear every decision with a bureaucrat who had equal standing to himself. Conflict continued sporadically until 1968, when it was finally decided to make the Receiver and the Receiver's Department subordinate to the Commissioner. From then on, the Receiver was considered equal in rank to the Deputy Commissioner. Metropolitan Police 1955 Payslip

By the end of the 20th century, the Receiver also held the title of Director of Finance and had become responsible for the Finance, Property Services, and Technology Departments of the force. With the consent of the

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...

, he could issue

precept A precept (from the la, præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action. Religious law In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting moral conduct. Christianity The term is en ...

s on the local authorities within the Metropolitan Police District in order to finance the force. He also had responsibility for the finance, and some other services, of the Inner London Magistrates' Court Service and the

Inner London Probation Service The Inner London Probation Service existed until 31 March 2001 when it was succeeded by the larger London Probation Area. Its final Chief Probation Officer was John Harding, later visiting professor at the University of Hertfordshire. He succeede ...

. In July 2000, with the introduction of the

Metropolitan Police Authority The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) (2000–2012) was the local police authority responsible for scrutinising and supporting the work of the Metropolitan Police Service, the police force for Greater London (excluding the City of London Polic ...

and the removal of responsibility for the Metropolitan Police from the Home Secretary, the post of Receiver was abolished and replaced with a Director of Resources. Keith Luck was the first person to hold the new post, from 2000 to 2006. The Director of Resources from June 2007 has been Anne McMeel.

Receivers

* John Wray, 1829–1860 *

Maurice Drummond Colonel Sir Maurice Charles Andrew Drummond, (30 November 1877 – 21 February 1957) was a British soldier, senior Metropolitan Police officer and, to date, the longest-serving Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Family He was ...

, 1860–1883 * Sir Richard Pennefather, 1883–1909 * George Tripp, 1910–1919 * Sir John Moylan, 1919–1942 * Sir Frederic Johnson, 1942–1952 * Sir Joseph Baker, 1952–1960 * William Cornish, 1961–1967 * Kenneth Parker, 1967–1974 * Ronald Guppy, 1974–1976 * Richard James, 1977–1980 * Alexander Gordon-Brown, 1980–1987 * David Hilary, 1987–1992 * Graham Angel, 1992–1996 *

Philip Fletcher Philip John Fletcher, (2 May 1946 – 10 February 2022) was a British public servant. Career From 1968 to 1995, he was a career civil servant, mainly working in the Department of the Environment and rising to the rank of deputy secretary. He se ...

, 1996–2000

References

{{reflist Receiver Civil service positions in the United Kingdom