Lancashire Police

Lancashire Constabulary
Logo of the Lancashire Constabulary
Agency overview
Formed	1839
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	Police area of Lancashire, UK
Map of Lancashire Constabulary's jurisdiction.
Size	2,903
Population	1,500,000
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational structure
Headquarters	Hutton, near Preston
Police Officers	3,200 (of which 401 are Special Constables)
Police and Crime Commissioner responsible	Clive Grunshaw, (L)
Agency executive	Steve Finnigan, Chief Constable
Divisions	8
Facilities
Stations	36
Website
www.lancashire.police.uk
Footnotes
* Police area agency: Prescribed geographic area in the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

3,200 (of which 401 are Special Constables)

Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston. The force has over 3,000 officers as well as 500 police community support officers.

After many complaints over a number of years over the crime ridden state of Lancashire it was decided in 1839 that a combined county police force was required to police the county. In the same year the force was founded and Captain John Woodford was made chief constable with two assistant chief constables, 14 superintendents and 660 constables.

Over the next 50 years the police force saw many changes including the introduction of the police helmet and, during the 1860s, the force lost its first officer, PC Jump, who died after being shot by a group of men that he and a colleague were searching. By the end of the century the force had developed a detective department who were allowed to wear plain clothes. The first detective appointed was John Wallbank.

In 1917 the force first allowed female officers although it was only up until the 1950s when they were allowed uniforms and not until the 1970s were they paid at the same rate as their male counterparts. In 1948 the force's dog section was established with many differing breeds being used but by the 1950s it was established that the German shepherd was the most suitable.

In 1965, the force had an establishment of 3,784 officers and an actual strength of 3,454, making it the second largest police force (after the Metropolitan Police) and the largest county force in Great Britain.

The force then went through major changes in the 1970s when the force was reduced to cover the new re-bordered Lancashire with the other areas coming under the jurisdiction of Greater Manchester Police and Merseyside Police.