Laurence Taylor

Laurence James Taylor (born 1972) is a senior British police officer who is currently serving as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations of the Metropolitan Police Service and Head of Counter Terrorism Policing.

Taylor has a degree in natural sciences from Durham University. He joined Sussex Police in 1996, eventually becoming Assistant Chief Constable before a transfer to the Metropolitan Police as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner in 2018. He told The Guardian in April 2026 that the Prevent counter-extremism scheme was being "overwhelmed" by a large surge in referrals and advocated for a separate strategy to account for young people whose fascination with violence was not rooted in any particular ideology.