Bristol Constabulary, also called Bristol City Police, was a police force responsible for policing the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

in south-west

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

from its foundation in 1835 until 1974, when it was amalgamated under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

with

Somerset and Bath Constabulary Somerset and Bath Constabulary was a short-lived police force in England which existed from 1967 to 1974. It was responsible for policing the administrative county of Somerset and the county borough of Bath, Somerset, Bath. The force was formed f ...

and parts of the

Gloucestershire Constabulary Gloucestershire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire in South West England. The force formerly covered the area of South Gloucestershire, however this was transf ...

to form the

Avon and Somerset Constabulary Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the five unitary authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, all in South West Englan ...

. At the time of its formation, Bristol Constabulary had an establishment of 232 officers, and was led by Superintendent Joseph Bishop, who had been appointed from the Metropolitan Police. The main police station was at the Guard House in Wine Street, Clifton's station was at Brandon Hill, St Phillips and St Jacobs at Trinity Road, and Bedminster's at Turnpike Road. Only the Guard House was initially ready, and temporary premises were used until the other stations were complete. In addition to the superintendent, each station had one inspector and six sergeants. The "City" station (Guard House) had 67 constables, Clifton 53, St Phillips and St Jacobs 40, and Bedminster 38. The first recruits came from a range of other occupations, including 53 labourers, 19 "servants", 10 shoemakers, 9 farmers, several soapboilers, brewers, ropemakers, cordwinders and butchers, one "gentleman" and one jeweller. Bridewell Street Police Station 1894

The Constabulary took up its duties on 25th June 1836. In 1842 the Guard House was condemned and a new Central Station was built on Bridewell Street. Unlike most city forces, the force was officially a

constabulary Constabulary may have several definitions: *A civil, non-paramilitary (police) force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in the United Kingdom, in which all county police forces once bore the title (and s ...

, the usual name given to county forces, since Bristol was a county as well as a city. Policing for ordinary constables in the late

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

period was centred almost entirely on patrolling their 'beat' on foot, typically covering 20 miles per day. Officers were given beat cards which specified exactly where they should be at each time of the day. The idea was that anyone wanting assistance would know when an officer would be there. The disadvantage was that criminals would know this too. The pay and holiday entitlement in Bristol in the late nineteenth century were regarded as poor , with no pension offered. Dismissals for drunkenness were common. By 1866 the force had grown to 296 officers, and by 1945 to 814. At the time of its amalgamation into the

on 1 April 1974, the force had 1247 officers.

References

Defunct police forces of England History of Bristol {{UK-gov-stub

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References