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.
[1][2][3] Core police teams patrol the 17 royal parks, gardens and other open spaces within the Metropolitan Police District – an area in excess of 6,000 acres (24 km2).
[4] 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.
[5] 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).
[5] Between 2004 and 2011, the number of crimes recorded in all Royal Parks rose from 916 to 2,373.