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 Service being fitted with Battenburg. The National Police Air Service has a base at Lippitts Hill, in Essex, which houses three helicopters to support surrounding forces, including the Met. A marine policing unit operates 22 vessels from its base in Wapping. Annual expenditure for single years, selected by quarter centuries. In 2011/12, £2,754m was spent on staff wages. Crimes reported within the Metropolitan Police District, selected by quarter centuries. The following table shows the percentage detection rates for the Metropolitan Police by offence group for 2010/11. The Metropolitan Police Service “screened out” 34,164 crimes the day they were reported in 2017