The Official History of the Metropolitan Police

Book excerpt: From the Dust Jacket: The Official History of the Metropolitan Police celebrates 175 years of the Metropolitan Police Service, exploring how the Met has adapted and grown to meet the unique challenges of policing one of the most diverse cities in the world. The book traces the fascinating history of the organization, from the lawless London of 1829 when Sir Robert Peel passed the first Metropolitan Police Act, to the modernised service of the present day. Beginning with an overview of the first 150 years, author Gary Mason examines various milestones in the growth of the Met, from the policing of the Coldbath Field riots of 1833 to the General Strike of 1926, as well as examining the changing face of crime, and how the Met has adjusted to deal with organised criminality and the threat of domestic and international terrorism. The main emphasis of the book, however, is on the last 25 years. Public order, community policing, specialist crime, terrorism, technology and forensics are all explored in detail, supplemented by material gained from first-hand interviews with key players in all these areas. Written with the full co-operation of the Metropolitan Police Service, and with a foreword from Commissioner Sir John Stevens, the book is complemented by fascinating case histories throughout and is illustrated with over 120 photographs, many of them from the Met archives and published here for the first time.