16. Scotland yard - its history and role

In 1829, Sir Robert Peel, the then Home Secretary, received au­thority from Parliament for the formation of a newly organised po­lice force.

His first job was to select suitable headquarters for the new force. They had to be centrally situated, and near to the Home Of­fice, since the Home Secretary was to be the chief police authority.

A large house at 4 Whitehall Place was eventually chosen. Tradi­tionally the building, backing on to an ancient court, once formed part of the old Royal Palace of Whitehall. Members of the Scottish Royal Family were housed here when visiting the English Court.

An Act of 1534 defined the Palace Boundaries, referring to ‘a croft or piece of land commonly named Scotland’. A Palace plan drawn in Stuart times shows a double court or yard named ‘Scotland Yard’.

The official address of the new police HQ⁸ was 4 Whitehall Place, but visitors, press and members of the public, accustomed to using the rear entrance in Scotland Yard itself, came to refer to the Com­missioner’s HQ as ‘Scotland Yard’.

Eventually the unofficial address became official, with the police headquarters known by its now world-famous title ‘Scotland Yard’. Of course, with time the MP force grew and when it reached 13,000 officers by the 1870s, the scale of its operations and administrative support had grown enormously so that new HQ offices were needed.

An Embankment site, originally intended for a grand opera house, became available. Problems with building foundations and financial mismanagement ruined the original plans and the site was acquired for the new police headquarters.

Richard Norman Shaw, the eminent architect, was commissioned to design the building. Prison convicts helped in its construction, since 2,500 tons of granite, was used to build the lower floors.

The Norman Shaw building, overlooking the Thames, was com­pleted in 1890, and all the relevant support departments installed.

Due to its popularity the police authorities decided the name ‘Scot­land Yard’ should be kept.

Another building ‘Scotland House’ was erected some years later, south of the Yard. The block housed the Receiver and his staff, re­sponsible for police finances and supplies.

In 1961 the Receiver’s office moved to Tintagel House on the Albert Embankment, on the South Bank of the Thames. Other police departments then transferred to Scotland House. In 1966 the Com­missioner’s and Receiver’s office were combined. In 1967 they moved to their present modern tower block at Broadway, SWI⁹, close to the Home Office in Queen Anne’s Gate. Once again, the famous name of Scotland Yard was kept, and the headquarters for the Commis­sioner’s and Receiver’s offices, police and administrative offices, remains one of the most famous addresses in the world.

The Receiver’s role is Chief Administrative Officer to the Force, and the provision of police property and supplies needed by the po­lice. He is responsible to the Commissioner and has statutory respon­sibility to the Home Secretary, the Police Authority for the Metropoli­tan Police District.

The Receiver administers the Metropolitan Police Fund and is head of its civil staff, with specific responsibility for all civilian departments. He is assisted by the Deputy Receiver, who has statutory authority to act in his absence.

The Metropolitan Police District covers Greater London and cer­tain outlying areas; therefore the Met 's HQ departments form part of a much greater organisation, which aims to ensure everyone living or working in London, and visitors to the Capital, can enjoy peace and safety under the law. To this end, the Metropolitan Police and its famous headquarters have grown and changed enormously since 1829. But its ultimate purpose remains unchanged.