Constable Alan Leitch
In 1960 I joined Liverpool Parks Police. I completed six weeks' training at the Parks Police Training School, Calderstones Park, in all aspects of Police law but with the emphasis on powers of arrest and the Sexual Offences Act 1956. I also had to obtain a First Aid certificate and a bronze medallion for life saving as many of the parks had large lakes. After training I was given the collar number 47 and posted to Stanley Park.
Training completed, 1960
Training completed, 1960
Training completed, 1960
Scooter patrol 1958, presented by Superintendent J Buchanan
Scooter patrol 1958, presented by Superintendent J Buchanan
Scooter patrol 1958, presented by Superintendent J Buchanan
Mobile patrol. Mini vans were used by many forces in the 1960s
Mobile patrol. Mini vans were used by many forces in the 1960s
Mobile patrol. Mini vans were used by many forces in the 1960s
Constable Leitch in 1963
During my six years with this force I was to see many changes, including a mobile section consisting of twelve Vespa scooters and six Mini vans, and a dog section, in which both handlers and dogs were trained with the Liverpool City Police.
The Parks Police was divided into five Police areas, consisting of 115 parks and open spaces spread over a 45-mile radius. The large parks had a permanent Police presence and were divided into four or five beats with a Constable being assigned a different beat each day. The smaller parks were visited by a mobile patrol.
I found myself posted to all the large parks. I enjoyed my job immensely but the Parks Police had two drawbacks, first of which was the pay. All Parks policemen were graded A, B or C; after completing training all Constables completed a six months' probationary period on C grade pay, which was the lowest you could receive. Every year, if you wanted your pay to increase you had to sit an exam in maths, English and Local Government and you were obliged to have your bronze medallion for swimming and First Aid. When the papers were marked you might (for example) have an A grade in all subjects but a C in Local Government, which meant for another year you would remain on C grade pay — a totally unfair system. I have known Constables with 10 years' service still on C grade because they could not pass the Local Government exam, which was a so and so to pass.
The second drawback was the winter months, when no one visited the parks and the job became the most boring imaginable.
During 1969 the Parks Police dealt with 1,569 offences ranging from indecency, theft, disorderly behaviour and traffic offences, and 200 parks bye-laws offences.
Vespa scooter patrol, 1960s
I have merely picked 1969 as an example.
I gained a lot of very valuable experience during my six years that was to be of use to me after I left the Parks Police to follow a career in the Ministry of Defence Police… but that is for another time.
To sum up, I joined the Parks Police when it was at its peak but, sadly, by 1972 after 107 years of service to the people of Liverpool it came to an end with the disbandment of the Force due to the political climate at the time coupled with the cost of the Force, which was considered excessive.
During 1972 the Parks Police were visited by a working party from the Department of Environment to study the organisation of the Parks Police and working practices, and took their findings back to London to use in plans for the setting up of a Force to Police the Royal Parks.
