The First Sixty Years

The vacancy was advertised in July of 1844 with sixty-seven applications received to fill the post. Mr Neil Robertson, formerly of the Morayshire Rural Constabulary, where he had recently distinguished himself in an important case in Knockando, was appointed Superintendent in September of 1844. A native of Argyllshire, before serving in Morayshire he first entered the police in 1840, joining the Glasgow City Police.

By 1846, the Banffshire Rural Constabulary numbered twelve Constables and one Superintendent, with Superintendent Robertson paid a salary of £100 a year out of which sum he was to provide and keep a horse. In the many years he was Chief Constable of the Banffshire Rural Constabulary he maintained an efficient Force. Among his most celebrated accomplishments were the substantial increase he obtained to the pay of the men and the police benevolent fund he instituted.

Disturbances on the seaboard necessitated a temporary increase in the strength of the Force about two and a half years after Superintendent Robertson's appointment. Eight additional members were added to the Force but the matter was de-escalated quickly to the point where, within two months, five were dispensed with and the remainder within another month once tranquillity was restored to that part of the County.

With the passage of the General Police Act in 1857, each county and burgh in Scotland was required to establish a Police Force and appoint a Chief Constable. The Banffshire Rural Constabulary was organised as the Banffshire Constabulary under the new Act by the Police Committee of the County, appointing Superintendent Robertson to the newly established post of Chief Constable the following February with a salary of £200 per annum and £50 for a horse. Three new Constables were engaged and a fourth, to be appointed for the Banff District, was agreed to by May.

In the discharge of his duties as Superintendent, Mr Robertson had constantly been on the move from one end of the County to another until 1858 when other superior Officers were also appointed under the Act including two of the Constables, one at Macduff and the other at Keith, Constable Pirie, being made Sergeants with their pay advanced to the top end of the pay scale at 20s per week. It was pointed out at this time that the pay of the men was less than in some of the neighbouring counties. Instead of 15s, 16s and 17s for the various grades, the average rate was recommended to be increased to 17s 6d a week, while the highest should receive 19s to 20s. However, as the pay of Sergeants was already at this level and, since they found no difficulty in obtaining suitable Constables at the present rates, no adjustments were made to pay. The total strength of the Force was then twelve men, one to every 2,838 of the population. The Constables were stationed at Macduff, Aberchirder, Portsoy, Buckie, Keith, Dufftown, Parkhead, Tomintoul, Forglen, Rothiemay, Portknockie and Aberlour.

The General Police Act, 1857, placed the Banffshire Constabulary, as well as the Constabularies of the other Scottish counties, under Government inspection with the Government advancing to the Counties one-fourth of the cost of each force. In 1866, on his inspection of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire, Colonel Kinloch, Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, noted the improvement of the men throughout the country. Before the new system was introduced, many of the Constables could scarcely spell correctly the most common words including the names of the days of the week. Their Reports were so obscurely worded it was difficult to decipher their precise meaning. The Daily Occurrences Books the Constables the men now needed to keep showed great advance. The information of crimes was now generally written very clearly and the authorities were able to act on them at once. He also noticed an improvement in the physique of the men. They were stronger and more powerful. The average height of the Banffshire Force was five feet ten inches. Most of the men had engaged in farm service before starting their service with the Banffshire Constabulary and were in their prime, with only two being over 40 years of age. Eleven were between 30 and 40 and three under 30. He felt the best men in the country were those of the Banffshire and Aberdeen Constabularies.

Chief Constable Robertson tendered his resignation on 25th September 1885, retiring thereafter with an allowance of £800 after forty-one years' service.

Mr David Haig next held the office of Chief Constable from his appointment at the end of October 1885 until 1898. Mr Haig also began his police service with the Glasgow City Police, obtaining the rank of Lieutenant in the Central Division, but starting at the end of February in 1881 and thus in four years and nine months passed from the position of Police recruit to that of Chief of a County Constabulary. At the time of his appointment, Inspector Alex Macgregor, Deputy Chief Constable, transferred from Banff to Keith and Inspector M'Beath transferred to Turriff as Mr Haig settled in at Banff.

On 1st March 1886, the Banff Burgh Police Commissioners completed the arrangements with the County for the amalgamation of the Burgh Police with the County. The Banffshire Constabulary took charge of the Burgh on the 15th of March, stationing an entirely new Force at Banff consisting of a Sergeant and two Constables for an annual payment of about £109. The Banffshire Constabulary was correspondingly increased by one Sergeant and two Constables as rendered necessary by the amalgamation. Two Constables were also moved within a mile of Banff at Macduff and one Constable at Whitehills, within a mile and a half of Banff. The experienced Officers brought to Banff included Mr William Chapman, who was promoted to Sergeant and had been for the previous six years Constable in the Dufftown District. Constable Newland, Fife-Keith was transferred and raised to a First Class Constable and Constable M'Dougall came from Glasgow. A commodious and well furnished office was provided for the Chief Constable and Inspector M'Beath in the Burgh Buildings now to serve as the new Force headquarters which was moved from Keith to Banff as a condition of amalgamation. In April it was decided to increase the Force by two Third Class Constables, one to be placed at Buckie and the other at Findochty. Inspector M'Beath's request for a salary increase was also granted raising his pay from £80 to £90 per annum.

By the turn of the century, the Force numbered thirty-five men — five more than neighbouring Elginshire Constabulary. The Banffshire Constabulary consisted of one Chief Constable, one Superintendent, one Inspector, two Sergeants and thirty Constables, there now being one Constable to every 1,814 of the population of the County.

On 16th May 1949 Banffshire Rural Constabulary became part of the Scottish North-Eastern Counties Force along with the Aberdeenshire Constabulary, Kincardineshire Constabulary and Moray and Nairn Police.