Due to various Parliamentary Acts the numbers of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom has varied drastically since the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829 set up the first modern police force in London. There are currently over 60 law enforcement agencies operating in the United Kingdom. See List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom for these. See also: Category:Defunct police forces of the United Kingdom. For former (non-police) law enforcement agencies, see Category:Defunct law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom. [edit] England and Wales police forces [edit] Abolished before 1889 The County Police Act 1840 allowed for borough police forces to voluntarily amalgamate with county constabularies. - Abingdon Borough Police, to Berkshire
- Andover Borough Police (1846, to Hampshire)
- Banbury Borough Police, to Oxfordshire
- Bodmin Borough Police (1865, to Cornwall)
- Bradninch Borough Police (1865, to Devon)
- Chipping Norton Borough Police, to Oxfordshire
- Henley Borough Police, to Oxfordshire
- Honiton Borough Police; (to Devon County)
- Launceston Borough Police (1883, to Cornwall)
- Liskeard Borough Police (1877, to Cornwall)
- Lymington Borough Police (1852, to Hampshire)
- Monmouth Borough Police (1881, to Monmouthshire)
- Newbury Borough Police (1875, to Berkshire)
- Okehampton Borough Police (1860, to Devon)
- Romsey Borough Police (1865, to Hampshire)
- South Molton Borough Police (1877, to Devon)
- Tavistock Borough Police (1856, to Devon)
- Thames River Police, absorbed into the London Metropolitan Police in 1839
- Torrington Borough Police (1870, then again from 1878–1886, to Devon)
- Torquay Borough Police (1870, to Devon)
- Totnes Borough Police (1884, to Devon)
- Wallingford Borough Police, to Berkshire
- Wantage Borough Police, to Berkshire
- Warwick Borough Police (1875, to Warwickshire)
- Wolborough Borough Police (1859)
[edit] Abolished under the Local Government Act 1888 The Act, which came into force in 1889 passed control of county constabularies to standing joint committees of county councillors and magistrates, and merged smaller borough police forces (where the town had a population of less than 10,000) with the county police. - Basingstoke Borough Police (1889, to Hampshire)
- Bideford Borough Police (1889, to Devon)
- Buckingham Borough Police (1889 to Buckinghamshire)
- Deal Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
- Falmouth Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall)
- Faversham Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
- Helston Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall)
- Hertford Borough Police (1889, to Hertfordshire)
- Hythe Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
- Maidenhead Borough Police (1889, to Berkshire)
- Newport Borough Police (1890, to Isle of Wight)
- Penryn Borough Police (1889, to Cornwall)
- Sandwich Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
- Stratford-upon-Avon Borough Police (1889, to Warwickshire)
- St Ives Borough Police (1889, to Huntingdonshire)
- Tenterden Borough Police (1889, to Kent)
[edit] Abolished 1890–1942 [edit] Abolished under the Defence (Amalgamation of Police Forces) Regulations 1942 [edit] Abolished under the Police Act 1946 - Non-county borough forces
- County borough forces
- County forces
[edit] Abolished under the Police Act 1964 - Borough forces
- County/combined forces
-
All territorial police forces in England and Wales (except the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) were abolished and reconstituted at midnight on March 31, 1974/April 1, 1974. This list shows the ones that existed then and their fate (ignoring minor transfers). - Bedfordshire and Luton Constabulary; reconstituted as Bedfordshire Police
- Birmingham City Police; merged into West Midlands Police
- Bradford City Police; merged into West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police
- Bristol City Constabulary; merged into Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- Cheshire Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Merseyside Police and Greater Manchester Police
- Cumbria Constabulary; reconstituted
- Derby County and Borough Constabulary; reconstituted as Derbyshire Constabulary
- Devon and Cornwall Constabulary; reconstituted
- Dorset and Bournemouth Constabulary; reconstituted as Dorset Police
- Durham Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Cleveland Constabulary and Northumbria Police
- Dyfed-Powys Constabulary; reconstituted
- Essex and Southend-on-Sea Joint Constabulary; reconstituted as Essex Police
- Gloucestershire Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- Gwent Constabulary; reconstituted
- Gwynedd Constabulary; reconstituted as North Wales Police
- Hampshire Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Dorset Police
- Hertfordshire Constabulary; reconstituted
- Kent County Constabulary; reconstituted
- Kingston-upon-Hull City Police; merged into Humberside Police
- Lancashire Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police, Cheshire Constabulary and Cumbria Constabulary
- Leeds City Police; merged into West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police
- Leicester and Rutland Constabulary; reconstituted as Leicestershire Constabulary
- Lincolnshire Constabulary; reconstituted, areas transferred to Humberside Police
- Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary; merged into Merseyside Police
- Manchester and Salford Police; merged into Greater Manchester Police
- Mid-Anglia Constabulary; reconstituted as Cambridgeshire Constabulary
- Norfolk Constabulary; reconstituted
- Northampton and County Constabulary; reconstituted as Northamptonshire Constabulary
- Northumberland Constabulary; merged into Northumbria Police
- Nottinghamshire Combined Constabulary; reconstituted as Nottinghamshire Police
- Sheffield and Rotherham Constabulary; merged into South Yorkshire Police
- Somerset and Bath Constabulary; merged into Avon and Somerset Constabulary
- South Wales Constabulary; reconstituted
- Staffordshire County and Stoke-on-Trent Constabulary; reconstituted as Staffordshire Police
- Suffolk Constabulary; reconstituted
- Surrey Constabulary; reconstituted
- Sussex Constabulary; reconstituted
- Teesside Constabulary; merged into Cleveland Constabulary
- Thames Valley Constabulary; reconstituted
- Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary; split between Warwickshire Constabulary and West Midlands Police
- West Mercia Constabulary; reconstituted
- West Midlands Constabulary; merged into West Midlands Police
- West Yorkshire Constabulary; split mainly between West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, South Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Police
- Wiltshire Constabulary; reconstituted
- York and North East Yorkshire Police; split mainly between North Yorkshire Police, Humberside Police and Cleveland Police
[edit] Irish police forces [edit] Scottish police forces Each police burgh had a police force originally, although many merged in the 19th century. - Abolished 1930
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 merged two pairs of county constabularies. - Abolished 1931–1946
- Abolished under the Police (Scotland) Act 1946
- Aberdeenshire Constabulary May 16, 1949 to Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
- Banffshire Constabulary May 16, 1949 to Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
- Berwickshire Constabulary to Berwick, Roxburgh and Selkirk Constabulary
- Bute County Constabulary to Renfrew and Bute Constabulary
- Clackmannanshire Constabulary 1949 to Strling and Clackmannan Constabulary
- Dumfriesshire County Police February 16, 1948 to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
- Dunfermline City Police May 16, 1949 to Fife Constabulary
- East Lothian Constabulary to Lothians and Peeblesshire Constabulary
- Fife County Constabulary May 16, 1949 to Fife Constabulary
- Kincardineshire Constabulary May 16, 1949 to Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
- Kirkcaldy Burgh Police May 16, 1949 to Fife Constabulary
- Midlothian Constabulary to Lothians and Peeblesshire Constabulary
- Moray and Nairn Constabulary May 16, 1949 to Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
- Peeblesshire Constabulary to Lothians and Peeblesshire Constabulary
- Renfrewshire Constabulary to Renfrew and Bute Constabulary
- Roxburghshire Constabulary to Berwick, Roxburgh and Selkirk Constabulary
- Selkirkshire constabulary to Berwick, Roxburgh and Selkirk Constabulary
- Stewartry of Kirkcudbright Police February 16, 1948 to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
- Stirlingshire Constabulary 1949 to Strling and Clackmannan Constabulary
- West Lothian Constabulary to Lothians and Peeblesshire Constabulary
- Wigtownshire County Police February 16, 1948 to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
- Abolished 1950s
- Abolished 1960s
- Abolished 1975
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 created new police forces based on the new regions and island areas from May 16, 1975. [edit] Railway police forces From the archives of the British Transport Police: - Birmingham & Derby Railway Police (1836)
- Birmingham & Gloucester Railway Police (1836)
- Bristol & Exeter Railway Police (1836 – 1876)
- Bristol Joint Railway Station Police (1865 – 1948)
- Caledonian Railway Police (1845-1922)
- Cambrian Railway Police (1867 – 1923)
- Cardiff Railway Police (1897 - 1921)
- Cheshire Line Committee Police (1865 - 1948)
- Dundee & Arbroath Railway Police (1836 - 1923)
- Eastern Counties Railway Police (1836 - 1862)
- Eastern Union Railway Police (1847 - 1862)
- East Lincolnshire Railway Police (1848)
- Festiniog Railway Police (1884)
- Furness Railway Police (1844 - 1922)
- Great Central Railway Police (1897 - 1923)
- Great Eastern Railway Police (1862 - 1923)
- Great Northern Railway Police (1848 - 1923)
- Great Western Railway Police (1835-1947)
- Hull and Barnsley Railway Police (1885 - 1922, became part of North Eastern Railway Police)
- Hull & Selby Railway Police (1836/1854 - 1872, became part of North Eastern Railway Police)
- Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Police (1833 - 1846)
- Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Police (1844-1879, became part of London & North Western Railway Police)
- London & Birmingham Railway Police (1833 - 1846)
- London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Police (1846 - 1923)
- London & Croydon Railway Police (1835 - 1846)
- London & Greenwich Railway Police (1833 - 1844)
- London, Midland & Scottish Railway Police (1923 - 1948)
- London & North Eastern Railway Police (1923 - 1948)
- London & North Western Railway Police (1846 - 1923)
- London & Southampton Railway Police (1838 - 1839)
- London & South West Railway Police (1839 - 1923)
- London, Tilbury & Southend Railway Police (1854-1912, became part of Midland Railway Police)
- London Transport Police (April 1934-1 December 1958, became part of British Transport Commission)
- London Underground Railways (13 April 1933-?, became part of London Transport Police)
- Manchester & Leeds Railway Police (1837 - 1847)
- Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway Police (1836 - 1844)
- Midland Counties Railway Police (1836 - 1844)
- Newcastle & North Shields Railway Police (1839 - )
- North British Railway Police (1840 - 1844)
- Northern & Eastern Counties Railway Police (1840 - 1844)
- North Eastern Railway Police (1854 - 1923)
- North Staffordshire Railway Police (1845 - 1923)
- Pembroke & Tenby Railway Police (1859 - 1897)
- Stockton & Darlington Railway Police (1846 - 1876)
- South Devon Railway Police (1846 - 1876)
- South Eastern Railway Police (1836 - 1898)
- Southern Railway Police (1923 - 1948)
- South Eastern & Chatham Railway Police (1898 - 1923)
- South Wales Railway Police (1845 - 1863)
- Taff Vale Railway Police (1919 - 1923)
- York, North Midland Railway Police (1839 - 1854)
[edit] Docks and port police forces [edit] Canal/river police forces [edit] Airport police forces [edit] Other police forces [edit] National [edit] Merged into MoD Police [edit] Miscellaneous [edit] Non-police law enforcement agencies [edit] References |
