Cambridgeshire

Police

History

Notes

Policing Peterborough

| Overview | Liberty Quarter Sessions | Before 1857 | Liberty Police | City Police | Combined Police | History written 1979 | Improvement Commissioners | Chief Officers | Premises | What's Missing? | Notes and Queries |

An overview of the material here on the history of policing Peterborough

This site contains two histories of policing Peterborough, produced by the police force of the day. The first was written in 1957, celebrating one hundred years of service of the Peterborough Police and was published in a booklet for the opening of the new Headquarters in Bridge Street on 23 May 1957. This was written by Chief Inspector Roy W.Wool, Chief Clerk of the Peterborough Combined Police. The second, a shorter history, drawing heavily on the first, was produced for the opening of the new Divisional Headquarters at Thorpe Wood on 22 October 1979. This was written by Sgt Graham Woods, and PCs Chris Stephenson and Alan Swain.

Added to these histories are some notes, written in the 1980s by Richard Hillier, Peterborough Archivist and Local Studies Librarian, on the work of the Peterborough Paving and Improvement Commissioners, who were responsible for supervising the Watch and later the police of the town. Additional material has been supplied by Ken Mason, along with notes made by the late Chief Inspector Ron Forth.

The published histories concentrate on the years between 1857 and 1979, and a comprehensive history of Peterborough policing has yet to be written. The years before 1857 need more research. This would cover the work of Parish Constables, special constables, and watchmen and the oversight of policing by Justices of the Peace, the Feoffees, Vestries, Manors and Improvement Commissioners. This would require, at the very least, research into local newspapers and minutes of the Quarter Sessions and vestries, material located variously in Archives in Northampton, Peterborough, Ely and Huntingdon. Also in need of coverage is the period since 1979, a time which has seen many important changes in policing locally and nationally.

Much of what has been written to date has centred around the institutional or organisational changes in policing Peterborough over the years. A comprehensive history would include more material on the life and work of some of the many individuals who policed the Peterborough community.

If there is anyone out there prepared to take on the challenge of producing such a history, or any part thereof, we hope the material here will serve to assist and inspire.

This page was last modified: 12 October 2025, 10:00

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