History of the Metropolitan Police Service by the end of the 19th century. During the 1860s, the flintlock pistols that had been purchased in 1829 were decommissioned from service, being superseded by 622 Beaumont–Adams revolvers firing the .450 cartridge which were loaned from the army stores at the Tower of London following the Clerkenwell bombing. In 1883, a ballot was carried out to gather information on officers' views on whether they wished to be armed, and 4,430 out of 6,325 officers serving on outer divisions requested to be issued with revolvers. The now obsolete Adams revolver was returned to stores for emergencies, and the Bulldog 'Metropolitan
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom are unarmed. "Sworn persons" "Non-sworn persons" From 22 November 2012, police authorities outside London were replaced by directly-elected Police and Crime Commissioners. In London the City of London Police continued to be overseen by City of London Corporation, whilst the Mayor of London has responsibility for the governance of the Metropolitan Police. In Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland is supervised by the Northern Ireland Policing Board. In Scotland, Police Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Police Services Authority. The British Transport Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary had their own police authority established in 2004. These forces