History of the Metropolitan Police Service History of the Metropolitan Police Service The history of the Metropolitan Police Service is long and complex, with many different events taking place between its inception in 1829 to the present day. Before the passing of the Metropolitan Police Act 1829, law enforcement among the general population in England was carried out by unpaid parish constables who were elected, and later appointed by the local justice of the peace. In certain circumstances, such as serious public disorder, the army would intervene to support the local authorities; yeomanry were extensively used for this purpose before police forces developed. Because this system
History of the Metropolitan Police Service regarding racial discrimination. The issue arose again in the 1999 Macpherson Report, which stated that institutional racism existed in the force. The official title was changed from "Metropolitan Police Force" to "Metropolitan Police Service" as part of the "PLUS Programme" in 1989, under the then Commissioner Sir Peter Imbert, following the presentation of a report entitled "A Force for Change: Report on the Corporate Identity of the Metropolitan Police" to the force's Policy Committee by Wolff Olins corporate identity consultants in August 1988. The current uniform for MPS officers is largely the same as forces outside London, apart from insignia