Royal Parks Operational Command Unit

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The Royal Parks Operational Command Unit, also known as the Royal Parks Police, is a unit of the Metropolitan Police which has responsibility for policing the Royal Parks found in central London.{{cite web |url=http://cms.met.police.uk/met/boroughs/royal_parks/index |title=Home | The Met |website=Cms.met.police.uk |access-date=2017-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219145632/http://cms.met.police.uk/met/boroughs/royal_parks/index |archive-date=2012-02-19 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Magda |date=21 August 2008 |title=Policing the Royal Parks |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/225415590/fulltext/DE49774ACC6E4514PQ/1 |access-date=2024-10-10 |work=Horticulture Week |via=ProQuest}}{{Cite web |date=28 December 2020 |title=Policing Richmond Park & Primrose Hill |url=https://www.friendsofregentspark.org/park-post/policing-regents-park-primrose-hill/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=The Friends of Richmond Park & Primrose Hill}} Core police teams patrol the 17 royal parks, gardens and other open spaces within the Metropolitan Police District – an area in excess of {{convert|6000|acre|km2}}.{{Cite web |date=5 March 2004 |title=Metropolitan Police Authority |url=http://policeauthority.org/metropolitan/news/press/2004/04-014/index.html |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Metropolitan Police Authority}}

Spread across the five boroughs in which the various Parks are located, the pan-London service given by the Royal Parks Operational Command Unit is in addition to that provided by local borough police. The unit is currently commanded by a Superintendent.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} While the focus of the unit across most of London is policing crime and disorder, certain parks such as Richmond Park emphasise 'environmental policing' for breaches of park regulations.

The OCU began to take over policing responsibility for the parks in April 2004 during a period of transfer of functions from the Royal Parks Constabulary (RPC). The RPC was finally abolished as a constabulary in 2006.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Ed |date=9 May 2006 |title=Parks Police In Merger With The Met |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/225415590/fulltext/DE49774ACC6E4514PQ/1 |access-date=2024-10-10 |work=Evening Standard |via=ProQuest}} Between 2004 and 2015, the number of police in the unit was reduced from 160 to 105 officers.{{Cite web |date=8 January 2015 |title=Bad news on policing |url=https://www.frp.org.uk/bad-news-on-policing/ |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Friends of Richmond Park}}

Between 2004 and 2011, the number of crimes recorded in all Royal Parks rose from 916 to 2,373.{{Cite news |date=26 July 2012 |title=Police chiefs have been accused of snubbing Royal Parks after new figures revealed the number of recorded crimes have rocketed in the last few years |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1112421977/fulltext/DE49774ACC6E4514PQ/11 |access-date=2024-10-10 |work=Ham & High |location=Hampstead, London |via=ProQuest}} According to the Metropolitan Police, this was due to more 'proactive policing' for drug offences; the majority of arrests were for cannabis possession.

The OCU is responsible for policing Abingdon Street Garden; the Barge Walk Hampton Court; Brompton Cemetery; Bushy Park; the Longford River, and those parts of its banks which are for the time being under the control of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Greenwich Park; Grosvenor Square Gardens; Hyde Park; Kensington Gardens; Primrose Hill; Regent's Park; Richmond Park; St. James's Park; Green Park; Victoria Tower Gardens.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

In April 2025, the Metropolitan Police announced plans to disband the Royal Parks Police by 1 November 2025 due to its portion of the police's national £260 million funding gap.{{Cite web |title=Royal Parks police unit to be 'disbanded' after 150 years despite charity's warning of 'serious consequences' |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/royal-parks-met-police-disbanded/ |date=3 May 2025 |access-date=2025-05-03 |website=LBC |first=Shannon |last=Cook}}{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/05/03/royal-parks-police-scrapped-150-years-london-sadiq-khan/ |title=Royal Parks police scrapped after 150 years |last=Sawer |first=Patrick |website=The Telegraph |location=London |url-access=subscription |date=3 May 2025 |access-date=3 May 2025}}