82:
22:
286:
189:
241:
Specific reference to "constables" rather than mere "policemen" is made by the BTP website article "A History of
Policing the Railway" which states "The London, Birmingham and Liverpool Railway Companion of 1838 reports 'Each Constable, besides being in the employ of the company, is sworn as a County
170:
practice within railway staff for their modern equivalents in signal boxes and signalling centres to be called "Bobbies"). These personnel carried out their duties mostly in the open beside the track and were often dressed in a similar manner (e.g. a top hat and frock coat) to early police constables
394:
Each had its own police force controlled by a chief of police. These four forces were organised in the same way; each split into a number of divisions headed by a superintendent, divided into a number of divisions posts led by an inspector. Detectives worked with their uniformed colleagues at most
161:
was passed. They were not, however, described as "constables" and the description may refer to men controlling the trains rather than enforcing the law. Historical references (including those originating from the BTP itself) to when the first group of true "constables" was organised to patrol a
301:
The continually expanding network of railways gave criminals new opportunities to move around the country and commit crime. The railways were pioneers of the electric telegraph and its use often involved the arrest of criminals arriving or departing by train. On 1 January 1845 a railway police
395:
locations. Many 'non-police' duties were retained, however, with officers acting as crossing keepers or locking and sealing wagons. During the Second World War, the strength of the railway police doubled. With many men conscripted, special constables and women police were again employed. With
482:
460:
47:
54:
by editing this article to remove any non-free copyrighted content and attributing free content correctly, or flagging the content for deletion. Please be sure that the supposed source of the copyright violation is not itself a
165:
Some early-19th-century references to "railway police" or "policemen" do not concern constables but instead describe the men responsible for the signalling and control of the movement of trains (it is still common
138:
Detectives and police may have been employed by private railway companies in the United
Kingdom almost right from the start of passenger services in the 1820s, with the first definitive reference dating to 1838.
519:
273:(Harrap, 1961) was the first legislation to provide for any form of policing of the railway whilst under construction, i.e. to protect the public from the navvies more or less". That year also saw the
48:
https://web.archive.org/web/20070605144555/http://www.btp.police.uk/History%20Society/Publications/History%20Society/The%20history/Printable/History%20of%20Policing%20the%20Railway%20Printable.htm
269:
was passed, which required railway and other companies to bear the cost of constables keeping the peace near construction works. The BTP history page states that "according to J. R. Whitbread in
490:
468:
206:
157:
refers to the police establishment of "One
Superintendent, four officers and numerous gate-keepers". This is the first mention of railway police anywhere and was three years before the
313:
lost 76 pieces of luggage in just one day, and by the following year thefts from the largest six railways amounted to over ยฃ100,000 a year. The first railway murder was committed by
524:
514:
431:
32:
338:
321:
train in 1864; however, railway police were not involved in his apprehension. The first arrest abroad by the
British police was made in 1874 when a
51:
172:
382:
254:
to patrol land and/or property under their control, distinct from the establishment of a police force by statute, as applicable to the
171:
but were not directly concerned with law enforcement. Occasional references to a "Police
Department" in railway staff records at the
509:
228:
125:
103:
388:
376:
154:
210:
365:
amalgamated over one hundred separate railway systems (of which about 20 had organised police forces) into four groups:
158:
266:
56:
346:
412:
400:
310:
294:
96:
90:
396:
199:
261:
A huge workforce was required to build the ever-expanding railway system. These armies of rough workers โ
153:
The first railway employees described as "police" can be traced back to 30 June 1826. A regulation of the
107:
370:
358:
342:
318:
40:
277:
conveyed by rail for the first time - the first rail mail thefts were reported shortly afterwards.
322:
255:
293:
to
Inspector Frederick Croft, a railway police officer who lost his life saving a woman's life at
354:
303:
362:
290:
175:
relate to signalmen and others, although some of them were simultaneously county constables.
325:
inspector accompanied by a railway police inspector went to the United States to arrest an
21:
350:
242:
Constable.'" The resulting railway company forces were formed by powers available under
285:
503:
314:
341:
virtually reformed their police force from scratch in that year, followed by the
188:
439:
302:
sergeant became the first person to arrest a murderer following the use of an
274:
243:
167:
326:
251:
337:
From 1900, several railway companies re-organised their police forces. The
265:, or "navvies" for short โ brought fear into rural Victorian England. The
247:
213: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
284:
262:
182:
75:
15:
520:
Specialist law enforcement agencies of the United
Kingdom
317:, who robbed and killed a fellow passenger on a
162:railway should thus be treated with caution.
8:
525:Defunct police forces of the United Kingdom
399:, these were ultimately subsumed into the
250:, landowners and other bodies to appoint
229:Learn how and when to remove this message
126:Learn how and when to remove this message
432:"Metropolitan Police Records of Service"
339:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
89:This article includes a list of general
422:
413:British Transport Police ยง History
7:
515:Rail transport in the United Kingdom
383:London, Midland and Scottish Railway
211:adding citations to reliable sources
461:"A History of Policing the Railway"
401:British Transport Commission Police
95:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
377:London and North Eastern Railway
187:
80:
20:
198:needs additional citations for
155:Stockton and Darlington Railway
1:
483:"The Scottish Railway Police"
41:Knowledge's copyright policy
267:Special Constables Act 1838
541:
410:
510:Railroad police agencies
487:British Transport Police
465:British Transport Police
311:Eastern Counties Railway
295:Woolwich Arsenal station
29:This article or section
357:in 1917 and lastly the
159:Metropolitan Police Act
110:more precise citations.
35:from another location,
298:
271:The Railway Policeman'
430:Metropolitan Police.
371:Great Western Railway
359:Great Western Railway
347:North Eastern Railway
343:Great Eastern Railway
288:
319:North London Railway
207:improve this article
436:Metropolitan Police
323:Metropolitan Police
256:Metropolitan Police
355:Caledonian Railway
304:electric telegraph
299:
363:Railways Act 1921
239:
238:
231:
173:National Archives
136:
135:
128:
74:
73:
33:copied and pasted
532:
495:
494:
489:. Archived from
479:
473:
472:
467:. Archived from
457:
451:
450:
448:
447:
438:. Archived from
427:
389:Southern Railway
234:
227:
223:
220:
214:
191:
183:
131:
124:
120:
117:
111:
106:this article by
97:inline citations
84:
83:
76:
69:
66:
60:
57:Knowledge mirror
39:in violation of
24:
16:
540:
539:
535:
534:
533:
531:
530:
529:
500:
499:
498:
493:on 29 May 2007.
481:
480:
476:
471:on 5 June 2007.
459:
458:
454:
445:
443:
442:on 11 July 2006
429:
428:
424:
420:
415:
409:
397:nationalisation
351:Midland Railway
335:
283:
235:
224:
218:
215:
204:
192:
181:
151:
132:
121:
115:
112:
102:Please help to
101:
85:
81:
70:
64:
61:
45:
25:
12:
11:
5:
538:
536:
528:
527:
522:
517:
512:
502:
501:
497:
496:
474:
452:
421:
419:
416:
411:Main article:
408:
405:
392:
391:
385:
379:
373:
334:
331:
291:Postman's Park
282:
279:
237:
236:
195:
193:
186:
180:
177:
150:
141:
134:
133:
88:
86:
79:
72:
71:
65:September 2024
46:Please review
31:may have been
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
537:
526:
523:
521:
518:
516:
513:
511:
508:
507:
505:
492:
488:
484:
478:
475:
470:
466:
462:
456:
453:
441:
437:
433:
426:
423:
417:
414:
406:
404:
402:
398:
390:
386:
384:
380:
378:
374:
372:
368:
367:
366:
364:
361:in 1918. The
360:
356:
353:in 1910, the
352:
348:
344:
340:
332:
330:
328:
324:
320:
316:
312:
307:
305:
296:
292:
287:
280:
278:
276:
272:
268:
264:
259:
257:
253:
249:
245:
233:
230:
222:
219:February 2021
212:
208:
202:
201:
196:This section
194:
190:
185:
184:
178:
176:
174:
169:
163:
160:
156:
149:
145:
142:
140:
130:
127:
119:
109:
105:
99:
98:
92:
87:
78:
77:
68:
58:
53:
49:
43:
42:
38:
34:
27:
23:
18:
17:
491:the original
486:
477:
469:the original
464:
455:
444:. Retrieved
440:the original
435:
425:
393:
336:
315:Franz Muller
309:In 1848 the
308:
300:
289:Memorial at
270:
260:
240:
225:
216:
205:Please help
200:verification
197:
164:
152:
147:
143:
137:
122:
113:
94:
62:
36:
30:
108:introducing
52:remedy this
50: and
504:Categories
446:2014-02-19
418:References
407:After 1947
275:Royal Mail
263:navigators
252:constables
244:common law
168:colloquial
91:references
333:1900โ1945
327:embezzler
281:1845โ1900
258:in 1829.
148:constable
144:Policeman
297:in 1878.
248:parishes
116:May 2024
37:possibly
146:versus
104:improve
345:, the
93:, but
387:The
381:The
375:The
369:The
349:and
179:1838
246:to
209:by
506::
485:.
463:.
434:.
403:.
329:.
306:.
449:.
232:)
226:(
221:)
217:(
203:.
129:)
123:(
118:)
114:(
100:.
67:)
63:(
59:.
44:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.