History of the Metropolitan Police Service been headed by a Commissioner, rather than a Chief Constable which is the highest rank in police forces outside London. The first Commissioners to hold the post were Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Rowan and Sir Richard Mayne. When Sir Charles Rowan died, leaving Sir Richard Mayne as the surviving Commissioner, Captain William Hay was drafted in to jointly run the force with Mayne. However, because the two Commissioners did not agree on methods of running the force, since 1855 it was decided that only one Commissioner would run the force. Metropolitan Police patrols took to the streets on 29 September 1829,
Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch 14 sergeants and 117 constables. The Branch has stables at locations including: The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch is the oldest part of the Metropolitan Police, having been formed in 1760 (some 38 years prior to the Thames Marine Police Force and 69 years prior to the formation of the Metropolitan Police) as the Bow Street Horse Patrol. The primary purpose of the Bow Street Horse Patrol was to patrol the turnpikes approaching London. Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch The Metropolitan Police Mounted Branch is a Central Operations (CO) branch of London's Metropolitan Police. The main responsibilities of the branch are to