Police Records

[David Tuson]

My great grandfather (maternal side) was a Police Officer in Manchester. Are there any on-line sites that would contain any details of his career in the police force?

David

[Peter Goodey]

"Records of other police forces [ie other than the Metropolitan Police], except the Royal Irish Constabulary, are not public records. Those which survive are held either by the appropriate local record office or the force itself."

[Jack Richards]

What was his name, please and approx. years?

It may be that the records of Manchester City Police do not survive. I believe the records of policemen and women used to be destroyed after a number of years (I think it was 7). Also, some of the more recent records may not be available due to confidentiality.

Perhaps, our friend : uksearch will be able to help you.

Regards

Jack

[David Tuson]

Thanks guys for the replies

His name was - David Edwards (pretty common I'm afraid)
He was born about 1863 in Montgomery
I found references to his police career in both 1890 and 1901
He lived in Chorlton-upon-Medlock in 1901

Thanks for your help
David

PS Have a great Christmas

[uksearch]

The link below may help you.

http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm (http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm)

UK

[David Tuson]

Thanks UK, I've visited the site and will send them an email in the New Year
David

[Jack Richards]

Hi David

Having a reasonable but limited knowledge of Greater Manchester Police formerly Manchester and Salford formerly Manchester City Police, by all means go ahead with your email to G.M.P. but please do not be optimistic on this occasion.

I am 99.99% certain, the record you seek will not be with the police and I think it will most likely have been destroyed, many years ago.

I do know of an individual former police officer in the aforementioned police, who has his "official" police career record from the start of his first letter of application to his final "certificate of service", but he asked the Chief Constable for a copy of same for his family history. Suprisingly, the request went to a then progressive Assistant Chief Constable and he said "yes".

One suspects that sometimes there may be two "records" for officers.

I believe that nowadays the records of officers will be computerised and the original old paper documents may be destroyed after 5 or 7 years.

Hope this helps, but please do go ahead and try. I would like to know the official response to your request as would, I am sure, others on this forum.

Regards Jack

[Mutley]

There ae a few police officers with the surname Edwards from Manchester mentioned on the blacksheep site. The dates may help pin your man down if he is there.

Regards
Mutley

[David Tuson]

Hi Jack

Thanks for your comments. I will stillcontact them after the 'silly season' and keep my fingers crossed that I get a response. I will certainly post the outcome of my query on this forum (I've made a note in my diary).

Hello Mutley

thanks for the link to the PDF page. I tried to print the document but it is 'locked', so trusted pen and paper will be used to note down those that may be relevant.

Thanks to you both, hape a good Christmas
David

[bert henderson]

David,
I enquired of my grandfather last year, they were pleased to send me his basic record,
age,description, previous employment, army service (I didn't know this) and reason to leave. He served from 1886 to 1892.
Bert Henderson

[Jack Richards]

Bert

What police force are you referring to, please?

Jack

[Mutley]

David,
The man who runs the lightage site is very helpful. To save you writing it all down try sending an email to him with your information. I found he went to great lengths, over and beyond, to help me.
Good Luck,
Mutley

[David Tuson]

Mutley
An email has been sent to Lightage - don't expect anything for a wee while as it's the 'silly season'. I'll post a message if I get a successful response.

Bert
Glad to hear of your success - my fingers will be crossed for similar results

Kind regards
David

[David Tuson]

Hello people –a progress report on my search for information on my great grandfather; an ex-Police Office

I was given two web sites prior to Christmas. The “lightage” site I visited prior to Christmas and found, among other interesting things, an index of police officers with EDWARDS as their surname. I wanted to print the list but the web site does not allow that. I contacted ‘lightage” and their (immediate) reply was to use the PRINT SCREEN feature on the keyboard. Saved a lot of handwriting. By the way, a very useful site!

Big thanks to Mutley.


The second site I did not make contact with until 15 January. I wanted to get the holiday period over with before sending an inquiry. Using the link below from UK, There is a ‘FEEDBACK’ feature which I used to enter the full details of my query.

http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm

I got an acknowledgement overnight with a promise to investigate and send me details in due course. Well, 10 days later an email arrived informing me that the details would be sent to me ‘by snail mail’ but in the meantime they included a Microsoft WORD document with my ancestors Appointment Card information (physical characteristics, date joining and leaving the force). Needless to say I am delighted with this result and I sent my profuse thanks to the staff at the Police Museum.

When the other information arrives I’ll post details on the Forum.

So big thanks to Mutley and Uksearch and to Duncan Boady and Claire Mayle of GMP Police Museum

Bye for now, a happy David

[David Tuson]

I've received a package by 'snail mail' from the GMP Police Museum regarding my enquiry for any information on my great grandfather. Considering it was sent to New Zealand by Airmail that is a fantastic service for which I am extremely grateful.

My query regarding my grandfather produced:
his appointment card
a copy of a sheet of "Recommendation for Reward for Meritorious Service"
a copy of a "Special report for Meritorious Service"
a copy of the "Watch Audit" describing his removel from service (death from stomach cancer); and
a statement of the future plans by his dependents.

The information gives me "picture' of his life in the police in the 1890s - great information to add to my family history files.

Thanks to the guys on this Forum for giving me the web address to make the conatct with GMP

David

[Jack Richards]

I'm so pleased for you that information has been forthcoming from GMP and that my supposition was 100% wrong. I am gobsmacked!

To have received the info. via the excellent GMP Museum is even more suprising to me. I am aware of its contents (well I thought I was) - it's another avenue for researchers looking for former police officers with (Greater?) Manchester Police connections.

Regards Jack

[uksearch]

I am very glad and pleased that you got so much information from GMP Museum. I am going to give them another plug
http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm (http://www.gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm)

This is a fine example of the "If you do not look for, you do not find/If you do not ask, you do not get" syndrone

UK

[David Tuson]

I may have been "lucky" because I was able to give quite a bit of detail about my ancestor. But I agree, if you don't ask you never know.

Hope anyone who approaches GMP Museum also has success.
David

[MabelA]

There is also this website that lets you search for your own ancestor in the Manchester Police. They will e mail you with details and send copies of any records they may hold. I used them and was very satisfied with their speed and efficiency

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/record_office/records/police.asp

Good hunting

M.

[uksearch]

I do not have anyone who has been in the Manchester Police, so I can't check this site out. I would have thought that the Manchester & Salford Police records would not be on this site. Please, if anyone know for certain, please let me know.

UK

[MabelA]

Hi UK and all,
If you mean the link I quoted above, the actual records are not on line at that site, but you can search with a name and it will bring up an index of what they have for that surname, with a few details. You then fill in an on- line query form and they get back to you with more by e-mail. They will then send a photocopy of records by snail mail on payment of a £10 fee. I got three pages even though my ancestor had only been with them for six months in the 1840's. the service was prompt and courteous.
Hope this helps

[uksearch]

No I meant that I doubted that Manchester & Salford Police records would be on the Lancashire Police records site.

[MabelA]

Sorry for the misunderstanding UK

[bumblebee]

I have been reading this thread with interest as one of my ancestors, George Summerling, was a police officer. He shows up on the lightage site (1894, herts, presentation) The date corresponds with his retirement from the police force.

The Lightage site says that the information could come on a floppy disk and as I no longer have a 'floppy drive' I e-mailed to ask if they could clarify how the information would be sent. 3 e-mails later I had no response whatsover so I gave up...........I was interested to read about the excellent service you had all received.

Can I ask a) If any one has received anything from this site, what form did it take, ie paper copy, e-mailed.

and b) how did you get your queries answered. (I filled in the correct form with all details etc..)

Bumblebee.

[David Tuson]

Hi Bumblebee

Sorry to have not posted earlier --- my computer threw a wobbly and I've only just recovered my internet connection.

I posted two queries to the site on separate days and received replies overnight (I live in New Zealand hence the timeframe). Both replies were advice on how to print the Police Index lists.

Their responses answered my queries so I was happy, and even more so as it was a few days before Christmas.

Regards
David

[Mutley]

Hello Bumblebee,
Sorry I have not answered you earlier. Difficulties getting on and posting.

I found the lighterage site most helpful. I just emailed the link and they answered straight away. They sent me the reports (newspaper cuttings) by post to Portugal on receipt of a UK cheque that they did not wait clearance on.

I cannot fault the service I was given. Maybe their site is having the same problems as this forum.

Regards Mutley.

[joette]

Just as a little meander down a similiar road.I work as a Met Volunteer.My main duty is to man the front office of Pinner Police Station.
This is an old building-built by the force around 1898.With the extension off the Metropolitan line Pinner was expanding & was thought to merit a station of it's own.This was duly built on Waxwell Lane/Bridge St.
In time & as policing & it's policies changed the station was closed in 2000 but reopened in 2003 with the front counter open for the public from 10-3:30 Mon-Fri.& fully staffed by volunteers.
I was working there yesterday when I came across a little gem.It's a potted history of the station written by one of the Sergeants who took on the training off the Volunteers in it's early days.
The Station was staffed by a residential Sergeant who lived there with his wife & family.There is a lot of detail here & was obviously a labour of love.
I chuckled over some of the details.Some gems-the Constables of Pinner in the 16th century had a duty to check that each boy over the age of 12 had a bow & arrow-their pay of £2 plus per annum was the same pay that the Sergeant was recieving in 1901!
I just wonder if there may be other little gems like this out there???

[bumblebee]

Thank you Mutley and David for the information, I had only heard people speak highly of the site and couldn't understand why I was getting nowhere....I will try again as obviously I was doing something wrong.

Joette -that is fascinating - it is all these snippets that turn our ancestors into 'real people' isn't it and give us a glimpse of them in their own time.

Bumblebee

[David Tuson]

Joette

If the potted history is ever published as booklet,I'll be near the head of the queue to purchase a copy - I've developed a keen interest in social history and its facinating to discover how our ancestors lived and worked.

Hope you find some more 'gems'

David

[newton]

I may have been "lucky" because I was able to give quite a bit of detail about my ancestor. But I agree, if you don't ask you never know.

Hope anyone who approaches GMP Museum also has success.
David

Can I just add my thanks for this thread. I saw it a few weeks ago and emailed the museum. They've now sent me a photo copy of my Great grandfathers record. He was a policeman in Oldham.

[joette]

Joette

If the potted history is ever published as booklet,I'll be near the head of the queue to purchase a copy - I've developed a keen interest in social history and its facinating to discover how our ancestors lived and worked.

Hope you find some more 'gems'

David
Now there's a fundraising idea I will put it to the author!

[uksearch]

I just wonder if there may be other little gems like this out there???
Nothing to do with policing but plenty to do with gems. Readily available (at a price) from TNA, free ( but only As & Bs at the Moment) from Ancestry (available at all AGMA libraries)...WW 1 pension details and lots more

[migky]

Hi i found this ref to him, well poss hime?

EDWARDS, David Joined: 27/10/1885; Aged: 22; Born at Llanfeehan, Montgomery, Wales;
Religion: Methodist; Single (Deceased)

[David Tuson]

Thanks Migky

[blacksheep]

I have been reading this thread with interest as one of my ancestors, George Summerling, was a police officer. He shows up on the lightage site (1894, herts, presentation) The date corresponds with his retirement from the police force.

The Lightage site says that the information could come on a floppy disk and as I no longer have a 'floppy drive' I e-mailed to ask if they could clarify how the information would be sent. 3 e-mails later I had no response whatsover so I gave up...........I was interested to read about the excellent service you had all received.

Can I ask a) If any one has received anything from this site, what form did it take, ie paper copy, e-mailed.

and b) how did you get your queries answered. (I filled in the correct form with all details etc..)

Bumblebee.
I only supply material on floppy where it is a photo so that you can do as you wish with it. Otherise it is a paper photocopy or microfilm print or variable quality.