Alternative Collection

This model has been produced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Thames Valley Police.

The Thames Valley Police was formed on the 1st April 1968 by the amalgamation of the Police Forces of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, the City of Oxford and the County Borough of Reading.
Until the early 19th Century parish constables were responsible for the upkeep of law and order. This system, which can be traced back to the Anglo Saxon period, placed responsibility for the orderly conduct of society upon the local community. Parish Constables were, in the main, reluctant post holders and the practice of paying someone else to do the task was quite common. As a result the ability and effectiveness of Parish Constables was at best, variable.
Changes in lifestyle and the migration of the population from rural to urban locations, fuelled by the Industrial Revolution, overwhelmed this system. Against a background of increasing civil disorder, during the first half of the 19th Century, legislation was enacted that laid the foundations of the Police service as we know today.
The Metropolitan Police Act, 1829, in establishing the Metropolitan Police Force proved that police forces were not incompatible with passionately held beliefs about British liberty.
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 although not aimed principally at issues of policing did provide for the establishment of police forces in certain boroughs.
The County Police Act 1839 enabled Magistrates in any county to establish paid police forces funded from the rates, 'if they so desired.
The County and Borough Police Act 1856 required the establishment of police forces in all counties and boroughs.
Opposition to these measures was strong and there was much debate as to whether provision of police forces should be the responsibility of central government or local authorities. Locally the cost of providing such a force was seen as prohibitive but the thought of a force under the control of central government was unpallatable. The Government felt that the reluctance of local authorities to fund the new forces adequately would lead to unacceptable variations in standards. In the event control of forces was placed at local level with the Government exerting influence through Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.
The development of the various forces in the area now covered by the Thames Valley Police can be traced against the background of the legislation previously mentioned.