Assistant Commissioner of Police of The Metropolis - Reorganisation in The 1980s and 1990s

Reorganisation in The 1980s and 1990s

In 1985, Commissioner Sir Kenneth Newman finally abolished the system of lettered departments. He redesignated the four Assistant Commissioners as:

• Assistant Commissioner Territorial Operations (ACTO), in charge of all uniformed and CID units based on the divisions.
• Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO), in charge of all specialised and centralised uniformed and CID units.
• Assistant Commissioner Personnel and Training (ACPT), in charge of all personnel issues, including recruitment, training and welfare.
• Assistant Commissioner Management Support (ACMS), in charge of strategic planning, management services, public relations and a number of other miscellaneous departments.

In 1992, with increasing focus on the Met's image and quality of service, Commissioner Sir Peter Imbert redesignated the ACMS as Assistant Commissioner Inspection and Review (ACIR), in charge of collecting performance data from across the Metropolitan Police District.

In 1995, Commissioner Sir Paul Condon introduced the widest-ranging reorganisation when he increased the number of Assistant Commissioners to six. The previous eight Areas, each commanded by a Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC), were reduced to five, each commanded by an Assistant Commissioner, designated AC 1 to 5. Each Assistant Commissioner also had force-wide responsibility for a 'portfolio' (such as Crime or Traffic), setting force policy and managing related headquarters branches. ACSO remained outside the Area system and continued to manage the Specialist Operations units.