Portsmouth City Police was the city force for Portsmouth, Hampshire [1] from 1836 to 1967. [2]
Portsmouth City Police was the city force for Portsmouth, Hampshire [1] from 1836 to 1967. [2]
The history of crime prevention in Portsmouth dates back to the 13th Century. [3] Parish constables are again recorded in 1435, 1531 and 1621. By the early 18th century the city had 155 public houses, a number that was to grow steadily as the Royal Navy presence in the town grew ever larger.
At a meeting on 25 January 1836 a committee was formed to decide on the size of the city's own police service. The first officers were sworn in on 18 March that year. The initial strength was 40 men.
Portsmouth decided to appoint 1919 its first women police in 1919 when three were hired. [5] In 1922 it changed course return to being an all male force. [5] Portsmouth would again begin employing women police in 1947. [6] The first women sergeant was promoted to that position in 1952 and the first to reach inspector rank was promoted in 1963. [6]
On 31 March 1967 the force ceased to exist and was amalgamated into the newly formed Hampshire Constabulary. The final strength was 550 people.
| Name | Rank | Years served |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Robert Elliott (82nd Regiment of Foot) | Superintendent | 1839 to 1848 |
| William Leggatt | Superintendent | 1848 to 1859 |
| Thomas Hayter Chase | Chief Officer | 1859 to 1860 |
| Richard Barber | Chief Officer | 1860 to 1875 |
| James Jervis | Chief Constable | 1875 to 1880 |
| Alfred William Cosser [7] | Chief Constable | 1880 to 1893 |
| John Messier [8] | Chief Constable | 1893 to 1898 |
| Arthur Prickett | Chief Constable | 1898 to 1907 |
| Thomas Davies | Chief Constable | 1907 to 1940 |
| Arthur Charles West [9] | Chief Constable | 1940 to 1958 |
| William Newick Wilson | Chief Constable | 1958 to 1964 |
| Owen Flynn | Chief Constable | 1964 to 1967 |
Hampshire is a county in South East England on the coast of the English Channel. The county town is Winchester, but the county is named after Southampton. Its two largest cities are Southampton and Portsmouth which are administered separately as unitary authorities; the rest of the county is governed by a combination of the Hampshire County Council and non-metropolitan district councils.
Portsmouth is a port and city in the county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth is a unitary authority, which is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
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Southsea Castle, historically also known as Chaderton Castle, South Castle and Portsea Castle, is an artillery fort originally constructed by Henry VIII on Portsea Island, Hampshire, in 1544. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended the Solent and the eastern approach to Portsmouth. The castle had a square central keep, two rectangular gun platforms to the east and west, and two angled bastions to the front and rear, and was an early English example of the trace italienne-style of fortification popular on the Continent. The Cowdray engraving of the Battle of the Solent in 1545 depicted Henry VIII visiting the castle. Despite several serious fires, it remained in service and saw brief action at the start of the English Civil War in 1642 when it was stormed by Parliamentary forces.
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The Southsea Railway was a branch of the Portsmouth Direct Line, located on Portsea Island, Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The railway was opened on 1 July 1885 and closed on 6 August 1914.
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Hampshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England, United Kingdom.
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The Isle of Wight Constabulary was a local police force on the Isle of Wight
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The 1st Hampshire Artillery Volunteers and its successors were part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1860 to 1967. Although the units saw no action, they protected the Portsmouth area in both World Wars and supplied trained gunners to siege batteries engaged on the Western Front during World War I. The unit continued in the Territorial Army after World War II.
The Portsmouth and Ryde Joint Railway was a group of three railway lines in Southern England that were jointly owned and operated by the London and South Western Railway and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. The main line was between Cosham and Portsmouth Harbour; there was a branch from Fratton to East Southsea; and a line between Ryde Pier Head and Ryde St John's Road. The last-named section was isolated from the others, being on the Isle of Wight. The first section of line opened in 1847 and the last in 1885; the Southsea branch closed in 1914 but all of the other routes have since been electrified and remain open.
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