The Cambridge University Constabulary is a body of

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

s that patrol the precincts of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. There are approximately 20 to 30 constables in the constabulary. The university constables are commonly known as 'bulldogs'. In reality, the constabulary acts as a security and stewarding service for the university with policing the responsibility of

Cambridgeshire Constabulary Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the local territorial police force that covers the county of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough unitary authority. It provides law enforcement and security for an area of and population of 856,000 people, in a pred ...

; the university constabulary made no arrests between 2010–2015 and may not have made any in the previous 10 years either.

History

The power of the university to attest constables was granted by the

Universities Act 1825 The Universities Act 1825 (Ch 97 6 Geo 4, long name ''An Act for the better Preservation of the Peace and good Order in the Universities of England'') is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which provides for officers of police constabl ...

, making the University Constabulary among the oldest police forces in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. As a non- Home Office police service, the

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

and

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of the university have the power to appoint constables (or in their absence any pro vice-chancellor or deputy vice-chancellor), which are in practice appointed and managed by the university's proctor's office. The Act states that these officers, once appointed, will have all the "powers and authorities, privileges, immunities, and advantages as any constables hath or shall have within his constablewick", within a radius of the precincts of the university. The precincts of the university are anywhere within of Great St Mary's church together with

Madingley Hall Madingley is a small village near Cambridge, England. It is located close to the nearby villages of Coton and Dry Drayton on the western outskirts of Cambridge. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 210. The village was kno ...

. However, it is stated on the Cambridge University website that they have jurisdiction within a radius of Great St Mary's. Until the 1960s the

proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawye ...

s and the constabulary conducted regular street-patrols within the university precincts. Nowadays they operate on a reactive basis when disorder or demonstrations are expected. Generally the constables restrict themselves to internal university matters with all serious crime/incidents being referred to the

, which is the

territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...

responsible for the whole of

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...

References

External links

Official websiteImages of Cambridge University Constabulary on FlickrFurther reading of Truncheons and Tipstaves.
Police forces of England Constabulary University police forces of the United Kingdom {{UCambridge-stub

History

See also

References

External links