| Description | In the 18th Century law enforcement was administered sporadically at a local level by voluntary organizations and associations. Parish constables in the early 19th Century were responsible for keeping order within the parish but were often poorly paid and susceptible to bribery.
The 1833 Lighting and Watching Act allowed town ratepayers to convene a public meeting to appoint Inspectors. These Inspectors were then able to appoint watchmen and clothe, arm and pay them using funds from the rates. A City Watch of this kind was appointed in Cambridge in 1833, and some of the larger Cambridgeshire villages also made use of the Act.
Following the Municipal Corporation Act 1835, Cambridge became a reformed municipal corporation. The Act allowed corporations to establish Borough Police Forces under the supervision of Watch Committees. In 1836 the Cambridge Watch Committee appointed a Superintendent of Police, two inspectors, four sergeants and twenty four police constables to form the Cambridge Borough Police. The University of Cambridge contributed financially to the Borough Police and had representatives on the Watch Committee. This police force was known as the Cambridge Borough Police until 1951, when it changed its name to Cambridge City Police.
The County Police Act 1839 allowed Justices of the Peace to establish police forces in their counties if the existing provisions for law enforcement were found to be insufficient. This led to the establishment of the Isle of Ely Constabulary in 1841. The Isle of Ely Constabulary consisted of four divisions: Ely, Wisbech, Whittlesey and Chatteris.
A proposal was made to establish a Cambridgeshire police force in 1844 but was not approved, leaving much of the County still policed by parish constables or village watchmen. In 1851, the establishment of a county police force for Cambridgeshire was proposed again. Despite opposition based on the supposed cost and inefficiency of neighbouring county forces, the October Quarter Sessions agreed to set up a county police force for Cambridgeshire. Captain George Davies was sworn in as Chief Constable of the new Cambridgeshire Constabulary in December 1851. He appointed seven Superintendents and seven Sergeants to oversee the running of the separate police divisions. These divisions, based on the Petty Sessional Court areas, were: Arrington, Bottisham, Cambridge (excluding the Borough), Caxton, Cottenham, Linton and Newmarket. These new police officers began operations on 1st January 1852.
Four years later, county police forces became compulsory under the County and Borough Police Act 1856. This meant that Huntingdonshire was required to establish a county force. It was proposed that the Huntingdonshire force could be placed under the control of Cambridgeshire's Captain Davies. This was agreed, and the Huntingdonshire Constabulary was established in March 1857. Records of the Huntingdonshire Constabulary are held at Huntingdonshire Archives.
The Liberty of Peterborough Police Force was also established following the 1856 Act. The Peterborough Force shared its Chief Constable with the Northamptonshire County Constabulary. In 1874 the city of Peterborough was granted a Charter of Incorporation, leading to the establishment of the Peterborough City Police Force with its own Chief Constable. In 1946, the city force amalgamated with the Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary to form the Peterborough Combined Police Force. Records of the Peterborough City Police, Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary and Peterborough Combined Police Force are held at Peterborough Archives.
In 1965, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cambridge City Police, Isle of Ely Constabulary, Huntingdonshire Constabulary and Peterborough Combined Police Force merged to form the Mid-Anglia Constabulary.
In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire was created. This replaced the historic counties of Cambridgeshire, Isle of Ely and Huntingdonshire. The new county and the Mid-Anglia Constabulary had identical boundaries, and the police force was re-named as the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
Peterborough became a unitary authority in 1998, but policing in the city remains the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Constabulary. |
| CreatorName | Cambridge Borough Police, Isle of Ely Constabulary, Mid-Anglia Constabulary, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cambridgeshire Special Constabulary, Cambridgeshire County Council, Barry Rose Law Publishers Ltd, Butterworths & Co, W.P. Spalding Ltd, Cambridge City Council, Clarendon Press |