The Oxford University Police, or Oxford University Constables (popularly known as

Bulldog The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

force of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

between 1829 and 2003. They carried warrant cards and were empowered to act as police officers within the University precincts and within areas of Oxford within four miles of any University building.p194-5, Bruce, Alastair and Calder, Julian, ''Keepers of the Kingdom'' (Cassell, 2002), University police branded 'too powerful'
, ''Oxford Times'', 22 May 2002 As of 2001 the force existed as a private constabulary (a non- Home Office police force) with 40 sworn

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

s. They were widely recognised for the

bowler hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...

s which formed part of their uniform, and formerly had the duty of patrolling outside the

Examination Schools The Examination Schools of the University of Oxford are located at 75–81 High Street, Oxford, England. The building was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson (1835–1924), who also designed several other University buildings, such as much of Brasen ...

alongside the University

Proctor Proctor (a variant of '' procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawy ...

s, the officials responsible for discipline in the University. They were abolished by the University Council in 2003.Oration by the Senior Proctor
, Oxford University Gazette, 27 March 2003

History

The power of the university to attest constables was granted by the

Universities Act 1825 The Universities Act 1825 (Ch 97 6 Geo 4, long name ''An Act for the better Preservation of the Peace and good Order in the Universities of England'') is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides for officers of police constabl ...

,Universities Act 1825
/ref> making the University Police among the oldest police forces in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. In 1829, the same year that the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

was established by then-

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

, the

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of Oxford University signed the "Plan for the Establishment of an Efficient University Police", formalising the powers and duties of the university constables. They were supervised by the university

proctor Proctor (a variant of '' procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawy ...

s, and had disciplinary powers over students. Until the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the constables were considered to be ''

in loco parentis The term ''in loco parentis'', Latin for "in the place of a parent" refers to the legal responsibility of a person or organization to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent. Originally derived from English common law, ...

'' with regard to students of the university, giving them broad disciplinary powers to enforce university rules and regulations. In 2002, a group of local traders in Oxford wrote to

Evan Harris Evan Leslie Harris (born 21 October 1965) is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997 to 2010, losing his seat in the 2010 general election by 176 votes to Conservati ...

, a local

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

, requesting the removal of the police powers of the constables over citizens who were not members of the university. They argued that the constables were "not accountable to any public authority" and described their role as an "anachronism". After a policy review by the University Council in 2003, the University Police was disbanded when it was decided that it would be too expensive to bring the force up to the required standard of training and implement a multi-tiered complaints procedure. The circa 40 members of the force were redesignated "Proctors' Officers". In recognition of the force's "extraordinary role over almost 180 years" (according to the Senior Proctor), the constables were not merged with the University's Department of Security Services, but remained under the control of the Proctors. According to the Chancellor's 2003 annual report, these members can still carry out 95% of the duties without constabulary powers.

Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It the largest non-metropolitan police force in England and Wales, coverin ...

are the

territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...

responsible for providing policing to Oxford, including the university.

References

External links

Images of Oxford University Police on Flickr
* {{UK private and military police forces 1829 establishments in England 2003 disestablishments in England Organizations established in 1829 Organizations disestablished in 2003 Defunct police forces of England

Police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

History of the University of Oxford University police forces of the United Kingdom

History

See also

References

External links