John Gerrard (police officer)

John Henry Gerrard CBE MC QPM (25 November 1920 – 2 June 2003) was a British police officer with the London Metropolitan Police.

Gerrard was educated at Cordwainers' Technical College and enlisted in the British Army in 1939. In 1943 he was commissioned into the Middlesex Regiment and served with the 1st Battalion in North-West Europe until he was demobilised with the rank of Captain in 1946. He won the Military Cross (MC) in 1944.

In 1946 he joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable. He was promoted Sergeant in 1951, Inspector at Hammersmith in 1955, Chief Inspector soon afterwards, Superintendent at West End Central in 1961 and Chief Superintendent soon afterwards.[1] In 1965, he was promoted Commander and took command of West End Central. In 1968 he was appointed Commander (Public Order and Operations) and in February 1970 was promoted to Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Public Order and Operations).[1] In 1974 he took over No.1 Area and in 1978 he was appointed Assistant Commissioner "D" (Personnel and Training), a post he held until his retirement in 1981.

Gerrard was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1972, awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in 1975, and appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1981.

From 1983 to 1986, Gerrard was London District Commissioner of the St John Ambulance Brigade. He married Gladys Hefford in 1943; they had two sons.