The employment of civilian personnel dates from the early 1800's. However, the longstanding commitment to civilian control of the metropolitan police service declined after World War II, partly as a result of increasing police professionalism. The extension of civilian employment became haphazard. The first significant expansion of civilian positions occurred in the 1970's. Initially, it tended to be confined to highly technical specialties, secretarial duties, and maintenance functions. Despite police opposition to proposals for more civilians, pay increases and other factors led to further use of civilians inevitable. Therefore, the civilianization program begun in the 1980's will probably continue in the 1990's. This trend raises several issues; among these is determining who is formally responsible for determining which positions to allocate to civilians. In addition, a suitable or sustainable career structure for civilian employees does not exist. A recent HMIC report has highlighted some of the generally perceived problems surrounding police integration of civilian staff. However, little research has focused on the impact of civilians on the police or on the relationship between police civilians and the public. The development of non-sworn officers to back up the police needs careful consideration. It provides a major opportunity to increase the presence of the police service on the street and thereby reassure the public. Non-sworn civilian staff can provide support services and enable the police to target areas with high rates of crime. This approach could help educate the public about the real nature of police responsibilities. Figures and 18 references