The City of London is set to strengthen its frontline against crime and fraud with the advancement of a new, state-of-the-art police headquarters in the heart of the Square Mile.Positioned to replace existing facilities and bring critical functions under one roof, the new City of London Police HQ aims not only to enhance local security and public safety, but also to reinforce the force’s pivotal national role in tackling fraud. As financial crime continues to evolve in scale and sophistication, the headquarters is being billed as a major step forward in modern policing-combining cutting-edge technology, specialist expertise, and closer coordination with partners across the UK.
Strategic relocation of City of London Police HQ to enhance security across the Square Mile
The move to a purpose-built headquarters at Salisbury Square places frontline officers, specialist cyber and economic crime teams, and public contact facilities within a single, highly secure footprint. Designed to withstand evolving threats, the building incorporates layered access controls, resilient digital infrastructure and dedicated spaces for intelligence-sharing with partners such as the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency and financial sector security teams. By aligning its physical presence with the heart of the City’s business and judicial districts, the force can respond faster to incidents affecting critical infrastructure, high-profile institutions and the millions of workers and visitors who pass through the Square Mile each day.
Operational planning has been hardwired into the new site layout, allowing officers to coordinate complex responses while maintaining visible reassurance on the streets. Enhanced surveillance capabilities and real-time data feeds will strengthen situational awareness across key locations, from transport hubs to crowded public spaces. Core security benefits include:
- Faster deployment of specialist units to financial and commercial hotspots.
- Improved protection for critical national infrastructure and high-risk venues.
- Integrated command facilities for major incidents and counter-terrorism operations.
- Secure collaboration spaces for joint working with national and international partners.
| Area of Focus | Benefit to the Square Mile |
|---|---|
| Incident Response | Quicker on-the-ground decision-making |
| Public Realm Safety | Stronger visible policing in busy districts |
| Critical Sites | Tighter perimeter and access security |
| Intelligence Sharing | Faster flow of facts with partners |
Cutting edge intelligence and technology to strengthen national fraud detection and response
The new headquarters will fuse human expertise with advanced analytics, enabling investigators to track complex criminal networks at speed and scale. A dedicated digital operations suite will bring together intelligence feeds from banks, telecoms providers and tech platforms, allowing officers to identify patterns of suspicious behavior in real time. Using AI-assisted case triage, high-risk reports can be prioritised within minutes, supporting early intervention and reducing the time it takes to disrupt organised crime groups. This data-driven infrastructure is designed not only to protect the Square Mile’s businesses and residents, but to provide a national backbone for forces tackling fraud across the UK.
Specialist teams will work side by side with cybercrime analysts, financial investigators and liaison officers seconded from key partner agencies. Their capabilities will include:
- Real-time intelligence dashboards mapping emerging fraud hotspots.
- Secure data-sharing gateways with regional police forces and regulators.
- Automated victim notification tools to speed up protective advice and support.
- Forensic data labs to examine seized devices and digital ledgers.
| Capability | Purpose |
|---|---|
| National Fraud Hub | Coordinates cross-border investigations |
| Threat Intelligence Cell | Tracks emerging scams and attack methods |
| Industry Liaison Desk | Links businesses directly to police experts |
Closer collaboration with financial institutions to disrupt organised economic crime at source
The new headquarters will embed specialist officers side by side with banks, insurers and fintech firms, enabling suspicious activity to be flagged and disrupted in near real time. Through secure data-sharing platforms and joint analytical teams, investigators will be able to trace complex money flows, identify cross-border mule networks and freeze accounts before criminal proceeds vanish. This model moves beyond traditional case-by-case liaison, creating a standing capability where financial intelligence, regulatory insight and law enforcement powers are aligned from the outset of an investigation.
Underpinning this shift will be a series of structured partnerships designed to turn financial institutions into proactive defenders of the UK’s economic security:
- Co-located intelligence cells connecting City officers with major banks’ fraud teams.
- Shared typology libraries so emerging scam patterns are recognised and blocked at scale.
- Joint training programmes to upskill frontline bank staff on red flags and escalation routes.
- Real-time information exchanges during live incidents affecting multiple institutions.
| Partner Type | Key Role | Primary Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Major banks | Detect and block high-risk transactions | Rapid disruption of fraud flows |
| Fintech platforms | Monitor digital payment trends | Early warning of new scam methods |
| Insurers | Spot coordinated claim patterns | Exposure of organised fraud rings |
Policy recommendations to maximise transparency accountability and public trust in the new HQ
To earn and sustain confidence in the force’s expanded role on fraud and complex crime, the new headquarters must be designed around radical openness by default. This includes proactive publication of key performance data on investigations, response times and victim satisfaction, presented in clear dashboards rather than buried in technical reports. A dedicated Public Transparency Portal should host quarterly updates on major operations, anonymised case studies, and easily searchable policies, supported by plain‑English summaries. Public engagement must go beyond annual consultations, with regular town-hall style briefings, livestreamed Q&A sessions and targeted outreach to residents, workers and small businesses across the Square Mile.
- Autonomous oversight embedded on site through a permanent civilian advisory panel
- Routine publication of audits on use of powers, data and technology
- Clear complaint pathways with guaranteed response times and escalation routes
- Victim-first communication standards for fraud and cyber-enabled crime
- Co-designed policies with business, civil society and academic experts
| Measure | Public View | Accountability Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fraud stats | Online dashboards | Trend and risk monitoring |
| Stop & search data | Open datasets | Bias and conduct checks |
| Complaints outcomes | Published summaries | Service improvement |
| Tech use policies | Accessible policy hub | Ethical and legal review |
Key Takeaways
The new headquarters marks a significant milestone in the City of London Police’s evolution from a locally focused force into a national leader on fraud and economic crime.As work begins to turn plans into reality, the scheme illustrates how policing in the Square Mile is being reshaped to meet complex, fast-moving threats that reach far beyond its boundaries.If delivered as proposed, the facility will not only strengthen day-to-day security in one of the world’s leading financial centres, but also provide a hub for national coordination against fraud-underpinning the City’s wider efforts to safeguard public confidence in the UK’s financial system.
