Scotland Yard

Scotland Yard is the headquarters of London’s Metropolitan Police, commonly known as the Met, and a landmark in policing history. The name recalls Great Scotland Yard and its medieval palace for Scottish royalty. Parliament established the Met in 1829, replacing parish constables, night watchmen, river police, and Bow Street patrols. The new force aimed to prevent crime through visible street patrols. In 1842, Scotland Yard created the world’s first plainclothes detective branch, beginning a new chapter in criminal investigation. The CID followed in 1878 and organised detectives within a stronger structure. Its work later encompassed criminal records, fingerprints, photography, fraud investigations, a mobile Flying Squad, laboratories, and detective training. The Met serves Greater London except the City of London, which has its own police force. The headquarters moved from Whitehall to the Thames Embankment, then Victoria Street and Broadway, before returning to the Embankment. Charles Dickens accompanied officers on patrols, while Scotland Yard entered detective fiction and wider popular culture.