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 During the 1860s, the flintlock pistols that had been purchased in 1829 were decommissioned from service, being superseded by 622 Beaumont–Adams revolvers firing the .450 cartridge which were loaned from the army stores at the Tower of London following the Clerkenwell bombing.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
Police vehicles in the United Kingdom systems. Although both observers are often police officers, the pilot does not engage in any police activities and is usually not a police officer. Police forces whose area includes significant waterways often include marine support units. Not only do these units police the waterways, but they also maintain a capability for waterborne rescue, usually in cooperation with HM Coastguard. Battenburg markings Jam sandwich (Phased out of London Metropolitan Police Service in 2012) Police vehicles in the United Kingdom The 52 police forces in the UK use a wide range of operational vehicles including compact cars, powerful estates and armored police