Somerset Constabulary was the police force responsible for policing the county of Somerset, England, between 1856 and 1967. [1] It was formed as a result of the County and Borough Police Act 1856. This act made it compulsory for the county authorities to form a county police force which up until this point had not been done. [2] During its 111 year history, five smaller police forces within Somerset were merged into Somerset Constabulary. These were Wells City Police and Glastonbury Borough Police in 1856, Yeovil Borough Police in 1859, Chard Borough Police in 1889 and Bridgwater Borough Police in 1940. Somerset Constabulary was amalgamated with Bath City Police on 1 January 1967 to become the Somerset and Bath Constabulary. As a result of the Local Government Act 1972 this new force was short lived, lasting just 7 years when on 1 April 1974 it became part of Avon and Somerset Constabulary which polices the area to this day.
The Police Roll of Honour Trust [4] lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty. It lists 16 Somerset Constabulary officers who were killed/died during its existence including:
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an area of 946 square miles (2,450 km2) with a population of roughly 1 million.
Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the county of Somerset and in four districts that used to be in the defunct county of Avon: Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
Cleveland Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the area of the former county of Cleveland in North East England. The Cleveland Police area covers approximately 230 square miles (600 km2) and has a population of over 554,000. In the 2019 annual assessment by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Cleveland Police was rated 'inadequate' overall and rated 'inadequate' in all review areas. In August 2019 it was put into 'special measures'.
Cumbria Constabulary is the territorial police force in England covering Cumbria. As of September 2017, the force had 1,108 police officers, 535 police staff, 93 police community support officers, 25 designated officers and 86 special constables. In terms of officer numbers, it is the 7th smallest of the 48 police forces of the United Kingdom. Conversely, its geographic area of responsibility is the 7th largest police area of a territorial police force in the United Kingdom. The force area's size and its population of just under 500,000 people makes it sparsely populated. The only major urban areas are Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness.
Derbyshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Derbyshire, England. The force covers an area of over 1,000 square miles (3,000 km2) with a population of just under one million.
Devon and Cornwall Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of Devon and Cornwall. The force serves 1.77 million people over an area of 3,967 square miles (10,270 km2).
Norfolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for the county of Norfolk in England. In March 2020, the force had a strength of 1,602 police officers, 193 special constables, 1,166 police staff, and 138 volunteers.
Northumbria Police is a territorial police force in England. It is responsible for policing the metropolitan boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and the City of Sunderland, as well as the ceremonial county of Northumberland. It is the largest police force in the North East by geographical area and number of officers. The force covers an area of 2,141 square miles (5,550 km2) with a population of 1.46 million.
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The service area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. As of September 2017 the service has 3,484 police officers, 1,619 police staff, 253 police community support officers, 155 designated officers and 208 special constables. The force is led by Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston. As of September 2020, the force has 3,088 police officers, 190 special constables, and 280 police community support officers (PCSO), 300 police support volunteers (PSV), and 2,287 staff.
Hertfordshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Hertfordshire in England. Its headquarters is in Welwyn Garden City. The current chief constable is Charlie Hall. As of March 2019, the force consists of over 1,900 police officers, 235 PCSOs, over 1500 police staff, as well as being supported by more than 410 special constables.
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing County Durham and Darlington in North East England.
Gloucestershire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of Gloucestershire in England.
Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million.
Staffordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England. It is made up of eleven Local Policing Teams, whose boundaries are matched to the nine local authorities within Staffordshire.
Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire in South West England.
The Bath City Police was a police force responsible for policing the County Borough of Bath in Somerset, England. It existed between 1836 and 1967. The Bath City Police, as an organization, was formed as a result of Municipal Corporations Act 1835, though it did not begin commencing duties until 15 February 1836. In 1852 the force had a strength of 86 police officers.
Bolton Borough Police was the police force responsible for policing the borough of Bolton, England for 130 years between 1839 and 1969.
Glastonbury Borough Police was the police force responsible for policing the borough of Glastonbury in England between 1837 and 1856.