| Description | Includes the records of
Humberside Police (1974- ), includes governing body records 1996-1998; chief constable 1980-1998; administration 1944-2000; financial 1968-1972; staff 1902-2010; operations 1959-1984; photographs [19th century-20th century].
York and North-East Yorkshire Police (1891-1974), includes staff records, 1891-1957, operations 1966-1974, photographs c.1972-1974.
East Riding Constabulary (1856-1974), includes governing body records, 1898-1968; chief constable 1910-1968; administration; 1879-1973, financial; 1912-1948; staff, 1901-1952; operations, 1915-1973; alien registration, 1883-1946; records of police stations, 1833-1975; records of individual officers, c.1900s-1960s; non-police records, 1904-1963; photographs of Beverley Borough and East Riding Constabulary, [1860s]-1960.
Hull City Police (1836-1974), includes governing body records, 1880-1937; chief constable, 1944-1955; administration, 1957-1973; financial records, 1893-1968; staff records, 1836-1968; records of staff clubs and societies, c.1886-c.1935; records of individuals officers, 1836-1960; licensing, 1862-1969; operations, 1905-1974; photographs and illustrations, [1569]-1974; printed records, 1809-1969; miscellaneous documents, 1809-1967.
Grimsby Borough Police (1872-1970s), includes staff records, 1872-1925; operations, 1897-1927; records of individual officers, 1890-1916; photographs, 1910-1970s.
Lincolnshire Police (1899-1974), includes chief constable, 1909-[1960]; operations, 1899-1970s; staff records, 1919-1974; photographs, mid 20th century.
North Riding (1953-1967), includes standing orders, c.1963-1967.
West Riding Constabulary, (1883-1973), includes operations, 1906-1972, printed records, 1883-1971, photographs, 20th century. |
| AdminHistory | HULL CITY POLICE FORCE
Kingston upon Hull City Police was formed on 2 May 1836. Until 1857 the watch committee reported its activities through the town council to the Home Office. The responsibilites of the watch committee included overseeing licensing, betting, cinema exhibitions, theatres and Sunday entertainments, music, singing and dancing, all at which the police were expected to supervise. As police activities increased, the watch committee devolved its powers to the chief constable. Forty-nine Acts of Parliament were passed between 1829 and 1919 in relation to the organisation of the Police.
The Force comprised three divisions 'A' or Central Division in Parliament Street, 'B' or Norfolk Street Division and 'C' Church Street Division. Each division was divided into sections and each section was patrolled by constables. It was authorised that the chief constable should resided at Parliament Street Divisional quarters. In 1844 the docks were placed under police supervision. In 1945 the chief constable recommended a new northern division to facilitate the policing of the city. In the 1870s the Home Office action created four smaller district stations located in the city. The city was then split into six areas, each under a superintendant. By 1904 the force had moved again to Alfred Gelder Street but expansion meant that in 1937 plans were drawn up to move site to Queen's Dock (Queen's Gardens), which was opened in May 1957 where Humberside Police is situated today. The Police Act 1946 legislated for permanent amalgamation of forces, but Hull City Police continued to function independently for a total of one hundred and thirty-eight years.
In 1836 the Force consisted of 88 police officers - 4 inspectors, 2 assistant inspectors, one clerk, nine sergeants and 71 constables. The officer in charge was primarily known as a superintending constable but this was renamed 'Borough Chief Officer', then 'Head Constable' to its final name, 'Chief Constable'. By 1890 two posts were added, that of deputy-chief constable and two superintendents. In 1910 there were 459 officers but police force strength changed little between 1910 and 1945. In 1939 there were 460 officers and in 1945 authorised peacetime figures were 456 but the actual strength was 312, perhaps reflecting the effects of conscription. Police recruitment stopped at the start of the War, but the First Police Reserves (Police War Reserve) provided a source of supply during the Second World War. In 1972, two years before its amalgamation the authorised and actual Force was 754.
Constables' comprised the main body of the Force. The fundamental purpose of the constable, to walk the beat and arrest suspected felons, in essence did not change and in 1883 a booklet was given to each man setting out regulations and printed instructions on how to go about their duty (this source is located at Hull History Centre). The Police Roll and POL/4/5/2 gives the entries for individual officers from 1864-1952.
HULL FIRE SERVICE
In 1884 the Watch Committee purchased the first fire engine. By the end of 1886 the Watch Committee had established a sub-committee to run a full-time professional fire brigade and recruited 8 men. In 1896 the brigade's strength was increased to 34. In 1924 the Watch Committee built new premises and these opened in 1927. The new station was based at Sculcoates Hall, Worship Street but in 1927 an additional station opened in Southcoates Lane and was known as the East Hull Sub-Fire Station. In 1931 the strength of the force was 50. Fire duties ceased when the Second World War started as in 1938 the Auxiliary Fire Service was formed.
It was created in 1974 following a merger of previous forces under the Local Government Act of 1972 along with the non-metropolitan county of Humberside was a successor to the Hull City Police and part of the areas of the York and North East Yorkshire Police the old Lincolnshire Constabulary and West Yorkshire.
EAST RIDING CONSTABULARY
The East Riding Constabulary was formed in 1856 when the County Police Act came into force. Prior to this provincial police reform was rather piecemeal and the County Act of 1839 and 1840 provided for voluntary installation of a county police force. Beverley Borough police force had been formed in 1836 under the direction of the watch committee although their was some resistance in rural areas that central government was taking control from the magistrates.
The police committee's first task was to appoint a chief constable, Major B Granville-Layard. The last chief constable of the true East Riding Constabulary was JWP Blenkin. In total there were 10 chief constables. The adoption of the 1842 Superintending Constables Act meant that the initial force comprised 48 ordinary and 12 mounted or superintending constables. This increased over the years helped by the creation of the police war reserves and the observer corps. In 1941 the force enrolled women police officers. Distribution states at POL/3/3/1, date from 1879-1926 and list the names of officers at their respective stations. In 1968 the Force was about 410 strong
The Force was organised by the traditional administration divisions: Buckrose, Dickering, Bainton Beacon, North Hunsley Beacon, North Holderness, Middle Holderness, South Holderness and South Hunsley Beacon. Within each division were the various stations. The Sessions House in Beverley had previously functioned as a court and administrative centre and was to be the headquarters of the county police force. The Force operated according to the General Orders which were issued by the chief constable and which cover 1910-1968 and can be found at POL/3/2. A good indication of the observations of each constable on a rural beat can be found in the beat reports at POL/3/8/1. This series appears to have been a surviving sample, taken from 1928.
In 1968 the East Riding Constabulary merged with York and North Riding and in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, East Riding Constabulary merged with Hull City Police to create Humberside Police Force (coinciding with the creation of a new administrative district) whose administrative centre is at Queens Gardens in Hull. Humberside also comprised part of Lincolnshire police, Grimsby Borough police force and Goole (formerly the West Riding).
Lincolnshire Constabulary was formed in 1856 under the County and Borough Police Act 1856. Several other borough police forces used to exist in the county, but these were eventually combined with the Lincolnshire force. Under the Police Act 1946, Boston Borough Police and Grantham Borough Police merged, while Lincoln City Police and Grimsby Borough Police were absorbed under the Police Act 1964. Lincolnshire lost part of its area to the new Humberside Police in 1974. |
| CustodialHistory | Records in this collection were formerly held by police museums. Some records were deposited in 1974 by Humberside Police as the successor authority for Hull City Police and East Riding Constabulary. Humberside Police also now includes North Lincolnshire Police. The records were deposited in several stages in 1994 when Humberside Police began to transfer material from their local stations to the Humberside Record Offices in Beverley and Grimsby (now East Riding Archives and Local Studies). The main bulk of material came under accession 2809 and 4310 which was deposited in January 1994. |