Hendon Police College

Hendon Police College is the principal training centre for London's Metropolitan Police Service. Founded with the official name of the Metropolitan Police College, the college is today officially called the Peel Centre, although its original name is still used frequently. Within the police it is known as just "Hendon".

The Peel Centre was redeveloped between 2014 and 2016.

It is within walking distance of Colindale tube station on the Northern line.

The college was opened on 31 May 1934 by the Prince of Wales, in the erstwhile buildings of Hendon Country Club, Hendon Aerodrome's club house (which had been used briefly as laboratories of the Standard Telephones and Cables company). The school was the brainchild of Lord Trenchard, who was Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 1931 to 1935. His experiences as second-in-command of the Royal Flying Corps' Central Flying School in 1913 and 1914 gave him a suitable background for the venture, whilst the location would have been known to him from his time as Chief of the Air Staff (1921–1929). The original concept for the college was a military-style cadet establishment to train officers to enter directly at senior rank, instead of the traditional entry at the lowest rank of constable for all personnel. Trenchard's idea was that in future almost all officers above the rank of Inspector should be selected from college graduates, thus introducing a military-style officer corps. Candidates, of which there were to be about thirty every year, were selected by a competitive examination based on that for the Indian Police Service. Most of the candidates were already serving officers, although some were direct entrants from civilian life. Graduates were given the newly created rank of Junior Station Inspector. Cadets who were already serving police officers received an annual salary of £200 and direct entrants received £170. New Junior Station Inspectors were paid £300, rising to £320. The first commandant was Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon Halland, previously Chief Constable of Lincolnshire, who was given the rank of Deputy Assistant Commissioner. The assistant commandant was Lieutenant-Colonel Reggie Senior, seconded from the Indian Police Service with the rank of Superintendent, and the chief instructor was Chief Inspector Carrick, an experienced instructor at the Metropolitan Police Training School, who was replaced by Chief Inspector Hugh Young after his promotion to superintendent and posting back to division in January 1935.

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