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.

— Recent Additions and Updates —

See All Additions

— The Journal of British Police History —

— Force Timelines Added —

Use the timelines on the force overview pages to navigate between related forces.
Available forces will be displayed in dark text, e.g., Reigate Borough Police below:

— View the British Forces —

Select a letter below to view the list of forces in alphabetical order

Select a year below to view the list of forces in chronological order

	1775	1800	1825	1850	1875	1900	1925	1950	1975	2000

Select a count below to view the list of forces by force size

Select a type below to view the list of forces by unit

Enter text below to search for forces

— Photograph Albums Updated —

Among our recent updates to the site is a new format for the force photograph albums.
Use the links below to explore some of our albums.

— "Collect Them All" —

If you are interested in a small, weekly dose of British Police History, we invite you to return to the Members Page in the coming weeks, or follow one of our social media accounts to view the new British Police History trading cards. Each Sunday we will highlight a person, force, location or item. If you follow one of the social media accounts, they also feature a photograph on a daily basis.

Below is a sampling of the first three cards that have been published. Hover over a card below to flip the card to see the reverse side. Keep your mouse over the card to keep it flipped to the reverse side for reading. We hope you enjoy the new feature.

Our modern take on the Quarter Sessions report of Chief Constable Major T W Best, 7 July 1885. Read more about Merionethshire Constabulary on the force pages.

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