Cornwall County Constabulary was the Home Office

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

force for the county of

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, until 1967. The force was formed in 1857. It absorbed

Bodmin Borough Police Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor. The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordered ...

in 1866,

Liskeard Borough Police Liskeard Borough Police was the police force for the borough and corporate town of Liskeard, Cornwall, from 1853 to 1877. It was formed in the years following a riot at the Bullers Arms, which necessitated local police. It was amalgamated with Co ...

in 1877,

Launceston Borough Police Launceston may refer to: Places * Launceston, Cornwall, a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom ** Launceston (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constituency in Cornwall * Launceston, Tasmani ...

in 1883, Falmouth Borough Police,

Helston Borough Police Helston ( kw, Hellys) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map shee ...

Penryn Borough Police Penryn is a Cornish word meaning 'headland' that may refer to: *Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom, a town of about 7,000 on the Penryn River **Penryn railway station, a station on the Maritime Line between Truro and Falmouth Docks, and serves the to ...

and St Ives Borough Police in 1889,

Truro City Police Truro City Police, known as Truro Borough Police until 1877, was the police force for the corporate town of Truro, Cornwall, from 1836 to 1921. It was established under the terms of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 which required every town ...

in 1921, and

Penzance Borough Police Penzance Borough Police was the police force for the borough and corporate town of Penzance, Cornwall, from 1836 to 1947. It was formed following the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reformed all UK boroughs, and stipulate ...

and the

Isles of Scilly Police Isles may refer to: Places *British Isles, often referred to as "the Isles" *Kingdom of the Isles, a medieval realm comprising the Hebrides, the islands of the Firth of Clyde, and the Isle of Man People * Carlin Isles (born 1989), American rugby ...

in 1947. From 1947 it was officially called the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Constabulary, although this name was rarely used. In 1965, it had an establishment of 500 and an actual strength of 446. On 1 April 1967 it amalgamated with

Devon and Exeter Police Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon i ...

and

Plymouth City Police Plymouth City Police was the city force for Plymouth, Devon, from 1928 to 1967. The force’s title was conferred upon it when the borough of Plymouth achieved city status in 1928.The Police Service in Plymouth, Brian Moseley Formation At the ...

to form

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary Devon and Cornwall Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of Devon and Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly) in England. The force serves approximately 1.8 million people over an area of . Hi ...

Chief Constables

* 1857–1896 : Colonel Walter Raleigh Gilbert * 1896–1909 : Richard Middleton Hill * 1909–1935 : Lieutenant-Colonel Hugh Bateman Protheroe-Smith, OBE * 1935–1956 : Major Edgar Hare * c.1965 : Kenneth Mortimer Wherly

Footnotes

References

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary family treeHistory of Wadebridge Town and Police, by Peter Tuthill
Defunct police forces of England History of Cornwall Organisations based in Cornwall Government agencies established in 1857 1967 disestablishments in England 1857 establishments in England Crime in Cornwall {{Cornwall-org-stub