|BRITISH POLICE HISTORY

— Welcome —

From the early days of rattles and whistles forward to modern radios and mobiles, these pages present the origin and follow the development of policing in Britain. Steeped in tradition yet advancing with the times, the fascinating histories of police forces from Aberdare Canal Police to Zetland County Police await you here.

— Additions and Updates —

A new force is added or updated each week. Use the arrows below to scroll through the most recently added or updated forces or use the button to view the list of recent additions and updates by month.

View All Additions  
Birkenhead Market ConstablesV&A Museum PoliceIsle of Man Airport PoliceSouthampton Dock Company PoliceBeckenham PoliceMounted Police in Devon & CornwallDevon & Cornwall Police Dog SectionFairford PoliceMinchinhampton Police

— View the Police Forces —

Select a letter below to view the list of forces in alphabetical order or start a search.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPRSTUVWYZ

— The Journal —

We are pleased to publish issue seventeen of our quarterly Journal.
It features articles on:

Helmet Plates of the City of London Police,
The 'Lancon' Police Personal Radio,
Bristol Constabulary Good Service Medal,
Plymouth Water Police,
London & Blackwall Railway Police,
HQCD AA Section
and much more.

We hope you enjoy this seventeenth instalment:

View Issue XVII  

— Force Timelines —

Use the timelines on the force Facts & Trivia pages to follow the establishment and the amalgamation of the various police forces to their latest incarnation.

The timelines can also be used to navigate between related forces by clicking the name of the force or the dates of its existence.

Forces with details available will be displayed in dark text, e.g., Thames River Police, as opposed to those displayed in grey text where details are not yet published.

The force currently being viewed will be highlighted, e.g., Metropolitan Police Est. 1829.

— Did You Know? —

View the Facts & Trivia pages for an overview of many aspects of the British Police Forces including force strength, location, memorials, timelines and facts and trivia such as these relating to the Port of London Authority Police:

The London and India Docks Police, Surrey Commercial Dock Company Police and Millwall Dock Company Police joined to form the Port of London Authority Police on 01 March 1909. At that time, they were so badly clothed they were known as the "pantomime police". By the 1930's, their situation had improved where their pay was as good as that of the Metropolitan Police.
In foggy weather, Port of London Authority Policemen found their way around with the aid of sticks about 6ft in length and wore life jackets over their top coats as a safeguard in case they fell into the river.
In 1955, pay was £9 18s 9d per week, rising to £11 19s per week with a free uniform. In today's money, this amounts to approximately £213.53 to £256.24 per week.

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