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,
Organisation and structure of the Metropolitan Police Service being formally made by Her Majesty The Queen. The Frontline Policing Directorate, formerly known as Territorial Policing, is commanded by Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt who is responsible for providing the day-to-day local policing of Greater London, the police area defined in legislation as the Metropolitan Police District. Until 2018 the MPD was divided into 32 Borough Operational Command Units (BOCUs); with each London borough assigned a BOCU. Each BOCU was commanded by a Chief Superintendent. Each BOCU provided police officers (Regular and Specials) who were responsible for patrolling, and responding to emergencies. Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNTs) were usually made up