The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, outside the city, is the much larger Metropolitan Police, a separate organisation.

The City of London, which is now primarily a financial business district with a small resident population but a large commuting workforce, is the historic core of London, and has an administrative history distinct from that of the rest of the metropolis, of which its separate police force is one manifestation.

[4] The first officer of the force to die in the line of duty was in 1857, followed by 31 more to date, including three killed in the 1910 Houndsditch murders.

[4] Teams of the City of London Police have participated in the Olympic games three times in the tug of war tournament.

At the 1908 Summer Olympics they won the gold medal, beating a Liverpool City Police team in the final.

At the 1920 Summer Olympics a solely City of London Police British team regained its title, beating the Netherlands.

As a result, the Traffic and Environmental Zone, better known as the "ring of steel", was officially established in 1993 by Owen Kelly, the then City of London Police commissioner.

[12] Some aspects of the ring of steel were 'stepped down' in the late 1990s following the cessation of IRA hostilities but stepped up again after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2010 the same trophy was awarded to Special Constable Patrick Rarden of the Honourable Artillery Company Detachment (part of the City of London Special Constabulary) for using his banking skills and experience to help train colleagues and provide invaluable assistance to solve fraud cases.

[16][17][18] Following an investigation, City of London Police acknowledged failings in their treatment of the man, including returning the vehicle to him without first removing the broken glass, but declined to apologise and said his arrest had been lawful.

[31] On state and ceremonial occasions, the commissioner and assistant commissioners wear a special court dress uniform with a gold aiguillette and a cocked hat adorned with white swan's feathers; other than on these occasions, they wear standard uniform.

[34] City of London police equipment includes PAVA irritant spray, batons, and handcuffs.

[38] The horses' ceremonial duties include participation in Trooping the Colour and the Lord Mayor's Show.

As with regular officers, constables and sergeants display collar numbers on their rank badges (in the range 1001 to 1099 for sergeants and 1101 to 1299 for constables) and officers between the ranks of inspector and chief superintendent display their warrant numbers, in all cases followed by the letters "SC".

The majority undertake duties during evenings and nights in support of the regular force in dealing with issues arising from the busy night-time economy of the city.

As in all forces, special constables are expected to commit to a minimum of 200 hours' duty each year, and in return receive out-of-pocket expenses and free travel on the Transport for London network.