|BRITISH POLICE HISTORY

The 'LANCON' - Police Personal Radio

Lancashire Constabulary has been at the forefront of many innovations in policing. It was the first to bring in radar speed traps, white police cars, women police traffic patrols and to train its own divers. It was also the first to use uniformed Officers in cars to handle minor crimes thereby releasing trained Detectives for more serious investigations. Yet another first was their use of 'civilian' cars with no distinguishing marks, making twenty-eight of them fully operational in late 1959. Each was crewed by two men around the clock, forming a special crime patrol.

Lancashire Constabulary was also one of the pioneers among police forces in the adoption of wireless communication. For Lancashire Constabulary, this endeavour started in earnest with the establishment of their Wireless Workshops when Mr Frank Gee, later Superintendent, joined the Lancashire Constabulary in 1929. Prior to coming to Lancashire, Mr Gee had served six years in the electrical and wireless branch of the Royal Air Force with service in Egypt, the Trans-Jordan and Iraq. He honed his craft with his contributions to the setting up of the first high frequency radio system in Palestine. As a result of his work at Lancashire Constabulary it was the first police force to use VHF radio for police cars in the 1930's.

Moving forward to 1950, the responsibility for encouraging and adopting further innovation rested on the shoulders of the new Chief Constable, Colonel T E St Johnston, who was committed to leveraging technology to the best advantage for the Lancashire Constabulary. A graduate of the Hendon Police College, he was awarded the Baton of Honour. Mr Johnston first served on the administrative civil staff at Scotland Yard and, at twenty-nine, was appointed Chief Constable of Oxfordshire Constabulary. During the War, he joined General Eisenhower's staff at the Supreme Headquarters, Allied Forces in Europe, where it was his responsibility to plan for the revival of police forces in the liberated countries in north west Europe as well as the reorganisation of the German police. For his service, he was awarded the OBE. In 1945, he became Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary and, at the start of October in 1950, he took up his appointment as Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary, which was then second in size to only the Metropolitan Police.

Lancashire Constabulary

After many complaints over a number of years over the crime ridden state of Lancashire it was decided in 1839 that a combined county police force was required to police the county. During the 1860s, the force lost its first officer, PC Jump, who died after being shot by a group of men that he and a colleague were searching. By the end of the century the force had developed a detective department who were allowed to wear plain clothes.

The Radio Branch or Wireless Workshops pioneered many techniques in the use of radio by the police. In 1925 they had radio communications between Constabulary headquarters in Preston and six divisional headquarters. A year later a van was equipped with a transmitter. Tests were done with radio communication to cars in the 1930s. In 1939 four fixed stations provided coverage over much of the county. At the start of WWII divisional headquarters were equipped with transmitter-receivers as a back-up to the telephone system. This was used in 1941 when the telephone system in Liverpool was put out of action by bombing, Lancashire Constabulary's radio system was sole means of communications with the city for a time. After the war they were involved in the development and move to VHF FM by the UK police.

In 1948 the force's dog section was established with many differing breeds being used but by the 1950s it was established that the German Shepherd was the most suitable.

In 1961 a personal radio scheme was installed in Chorley with Motorola VHF personal radios imported from the USA after a demonstration in Stretford in 1959. In 1965, the force had an establishment of 3,784 officers and an actual strength of 3,454, making it the second largest police force (after the Metropolitan Police) and the largest county force in Great Britain.

The force then went through major changes in the 1970s when the force was reduced to cover the new re-bordered Lancashire with the other areas coming under the jurisdiction of Greater Manchester Police and Merseyside Police.

Ford Anglia Saloons As Used by the Lancashire Constabulary

©Lancashire Constabulary

Lancashire Constabulary is generally credited with being the first police force to use panda cars in 1965. This photograph shows a delivery of Ford Anglias to the force's Hutton headquarters which were bound for Bolton in 1966. They were possibly the first Panda cars many Bolton people saw.

Lancashire Constabulary was a big user of the Anglia. Once it had been decided to switch officers to mobile patrol, Lancashire Constabulary bought 175 Ford Anglia's, made at Halewood on Merseyside, in one go. Then acting Chief Constable Bill Palfrey staged a media event at County Police headquarters at Hutton on May Day, 1967, by having them arranged in '999' formation.

©Lancashire Constabulary

The police vehicles were the 'basic' Ford Anglia's, lacking the full-width chrome-plated radiator grille of the deluxe model. The Ford Anglia's were originally dubbed A-Cars, but became known as Pandas because of the white stripe on their bodywork which contrasted with their main lagoon blue colour.

"Their introduction", Palfrey said, "would save the force some 400 men". At the time Lancashire Constabulary was some 500 officers under-strength anyway, and it was this strain on manpower that was a big influence in the departure from old-style policing.

©Lancashire Constabulary

In January 1970, at the opening of a new control centre at Hutton that was capable of supervising 1,000 mobile units at any one time, Palfrey said

"People who argue for a return to foot patrols are living in the past, in a bygone age. A lot is talked about policemen riding around in cars. Should the criminal cease to use high-powered cars, then we could return to foot patrol."


©Lancashire Constabulary

©Lancashire Constabulary

©Lancashire Constabulary

One of Lancashire Constabulary's first Panda Cars UTC 847D, was immortalised as a 1:43rd scale model by Corgi, in their Vanguards range (model No VA00115c) in 1998

One of Lancashire Constabulary's first Panda Cars UTC 847D, was immortalised as a 1:43rd scale model by Corgi, in their Vanguards range (model No VA00115c) in 1998

One of Lancashire Constabulary's first Panda Cars UTC 847D, was immortalised as a 1:43rd scale model by Corgi, in their Vanguards range (model No VA00115c) in 1998

A Lancashire Constabulary Police Car also appeared on a British Telecom Phone Card

A Lancashire Constabulary Police Car also appeared on a British Telecom Phone Card

A Lancashire Constabulary Police Car also appeared on a British Telecom Phone Card

(With special thanks to www.anglia-models.co.uk)

Authored by Colonel John Woodford, Chief Constable of Lancashire from 1839-1856, when he was appointed one of the first Inspectors of Constabulary. (Submitted by Ray Ricketts)

Authored by Colonel John Woodford, Chief Constable of Lancashire from 1839-1856, when he was appointed one of the first Inspectors of Constabulary. (Submitted by Ray Ricketts)

Authored by Colonel John Woodford, Chief Constable of Lancashire from 1839-1856, when he was appointed one of the first Inspectors of Constabulary. (Submitted by Ray Ricketts)

The following undated newspaper article relating to the above photograph of DTF 652 refers to the picture having been taken in 1942 outside the Lamb Club in Gisburn Road, Barrowford. The article reads:

Kindly sent in by lan Jeffrey, of Brierfield, the excellent photograph depicts lan's late father, PC 649 William Jeffrey, who is in a superb jet black MG TC Midget 1937 model, which was based at Reedley Police Station and driven and looked after by William and his colleague, PC John Kirkbride.

Note the tall radio aerial which was for long wave and one-way only, hence William had to use a public telephone to call back to Reedley ... also the designation letter "P" enclosed in the triangle at the front, standing for Preston HQ at Hutton.

Wartime regulations also in force can be seen with the blacked-out headlights and gas colourisation plates fitted forward of the windscreen. The two drivers, William and John, carried ebony truncheons and service revolvers with six rounds of ammunition in case of imminent German invasion.

During this period at the Police Station and Court House was a mounted police branch controlled by Sergeant William Riley with two fine police horses stabled. Nearby in the yard was a six-vehicle garage complete with a hand-operated petrol pump which gave one gallon of fuel to two full turns. During the Second World War, the superintendent in charge was John A Lancaster, who lived at the court building with the motor patrol traffic inspector next door.

PC 649 William Jeffrey served in the force for 23 years, then ran the well-known Brierfield School of Motoring for many years until retirement. The MG TC Midget DTF 652 was sold to a gent in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1947 for the princely sum of £800!

lan himself was a police motor engineer for 21 years, serving at the Burnley, Nelson and Colne garages. Very many thanks lan for your memories of your policeman father and his most special police car during those now long-ago wartime days of yesteryear.

Chief Superintendent Walter Wilson Thornton

Chief Superintendent Walter Wilson Thornton

Born in Yorkshire, the son of a West Riding Constabulary Sergeant, Thornton joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1907. He served at Preston, Widnes and Bury. In 1911, he transferred to Blackburn Lower and Church Divisions as Weights and Measures Assistant. In 1914 he moved to Leigh as assistant clerk. He joined the headquarters staff in 1918 as Sergeant/clerk and was promoted Inspector in 1919 and Chief Inspector in 1921. In 1928, he moved to Prestwich sub-division of Manchester returning to headquarters in 1929 as Superintendent and Chief Clerk. He was promoted Chief Superintendent in 1931. Mr Thornton was awarded the King's Police Medal in February 1937.

(Submitted by Robin Cain from the Lancashire Evening Post 1 February 1937 - British Newspaper Archive)

A Brief History of Morecambe Police Station

A brief history of Morecambe Police Station (Submitted by David Chandler)

1940s Police Jaguars at Aintree

BY TONY ROACH

Aintree racecourse was situated on the boundary between the force areas of the Liverpool City Police and Lancashire Constabulary and was policed jointly on Race Days.

Post war Lancashire Constabulary was always at the forefront with regard to using choice vehicles for patrols whereas we in Liverpool soldiered on with Vauxhall 14s and the remnants of war time issue by the Ministry of Supply. We were not in the least envious though............

Digging through my archives I found the two images shown here to give you an example of what motor patrols the Lancashire force fielded for events.

They were taken at the time of the 103rd Grand National in 1949 and show a couple of lucky policemen with their Jaguar saloons observing the race traffic near Aintree on the A59.Note too the Ribble and Standerwick coaches and buses ferrying the punters.Quite an atmospheric image.

Incidentally the winning nag was Russian Hero who won by 8 lengths at 66/1. 

1986 Rover SD1 3500SE Police Car

1986 Rover SD1 3500SE Police Car restoration project: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/131089 (Submitted by James Wade)

1986 Rover SD1 3500SE Police Car restoration project: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/131089 (Submitted by James Wade)

1986 Rover SD1 3500SE Police Car restoration project: forum.retro-rides.org/thread/131089 (Submitted by James Wade)

The car on the Rover SD1 Club stand at the NEC Classic and Restoration Show March 2018

The car on the Rover SD1 Club stand at the NEC Classic and Restoration Show March 2018

The car on the Rover SD1 Club stand at the NEC Classic and Restoration Show March 2018

 

The "Blue Bonnets" of Lancashire Constabulary

With the introduction of unit beat policing, Lancashire Constabulary was an early adopter, if not the earliest, putting panda cars on the streets. Ford Anglias, distinctively painted in blue and white, were introduced as an experiment at Kirkby and extended to the Widness and Bury Divisions. The results being closely watched by Lancashire Constabulary and other Forces.

In April of 1966, fifty-eight Ford Anglias, which quickly became known as "Blue Bonnets", were handed over to Lancashire Police at a cost of £25,000. The number in service steadily grew, with a further 17 added in November 1967 bringing their total fleet of this kind to 246. In two years time they had planned to have 500 of the cars on patrol.

 
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A Lancashire Constabulary Victorian Helmet Plate


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