The service adopted its current name in 2011 following reform in law enforcement agencies across Russia replacing the term "Militsiya" with "police".

The department survived intact until 1917 during the February Revolution, when most of the Saint Petersburg Police remained loyal to the Imperial government.

Several policemen were killed after the defection of the bulk of the city's army garrison to the revolution, especially when a rumor spread that the police were firing with machine guns from the roofs of buildings.

This name continued until 1991, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, when it was changed to Saint Petersburg Militsiya (милицию Санкт-Петербурга) after the name of the city was reverted.

The service adopted its current name on March 1, 2011, as part of wider law enforcement legislative reform backed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, which abandoned the usage of the term "Militsiya" in favor of the re-adoption of "Politsiya" (police) in law enforcement agencies across Russia.