Thames Valley Police
Est. 1974
A bit of Thames Valley Policy history has been revitalised. Helmets were withdrawn from service as of 1 January 2010 and were no longer issued or considered as uniform. At the time, it was considered by many as the end of an era. Officers were allowed to keep their helmets if they wanted but were told not to sell them on eBay.
As of 1 May 2018, helmets are again being issued. The re-introduction of the helmets occurs just prior to the Royal Wedding. The helmet and helmet plate are identical in style to those issued previously.
Thames Valley Police Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Thames Valley Police Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Thames Valley Police Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Vauxhall Astra in Oxford, 2011 (Submitted by Alan Cunnington)
Kubota RTVX900 all-terrain vehicle
Kubota RTVX900 all-terrain vehicle
Kubota RTVX900 all-terrain vehicle
Thames Valley Constabulary, which has since changed to Thames Valley Police, was formed on 1 April 1968 from the police forces of the Royal County of Berkshire, the County of Buckinghamshire, the County of Oxfordshire, the City of Oxford and the County Borough of Reading.
Today, Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales with a Force area of 2,216 square miles covering the three counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It covers a population of over 2.3 million people across both urban and rural areas as well as 6 million annual visitors. It also encompasses 196 miles of motorway - more than any other British police force.
As of 31 March 2018 Thames Valley Police employed 7,588 people including 4,202 police officers, 3,004 police staff and 382 PCSOs with an additional 423 Special Constabulary and 621 volunteers. In that same year they received 1,245,295 calls that included 304,626 999 calls and 940,669 non-emergency 101 calls.
Armourial bearings were granted to the Thames Valley Police Authority on 7 September 1971. However, these did not feature in police insignia until the change to Thames Valley Police on 1 April 1974. To this day, they can be seen in part or in whole in the patches, helmet plates and breast badges worn by the Thames Valley Police. The motto of Thames Valley Police is Sit Pax In Valle Tamesis. For those of us who are not Latin scholars, this translates to Let there be peace in the Thames Valley.
