TheNorthern Constabulary(Scottish Gaelic:Poileas a' Chinn a Tuath) was theterritorial police forceresponsible forNorthern Scotland,covering theHighlandcouncil areaalong with theWestern Isles,theOrkney Islandsand theShetland Islands,which make up most of theHighlands and Islandsarea. It was the police force covering the largest geographical area in theUnited Kingdom,equivalent to the size ofBelgium,but was one of the smallest in terms of officers, with about 715 officers.[1]The Constabulary was one of those amalgamated to formPolice Scotlandin 2013.
| Northern Constabulary Poileas a' Chinn a Tuath | |
|---|---|
 Northern Constabulary patch | |
| Motto | Dion is Cuidich(Gaelic) Protect and Serve |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 16 May, 1975 (merger) |
| Dissolved | 2013 (amalgamation) |
| Superseding agency | Police Service of Scotland |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Highland,Western Isles,Orkney IslandsandShetland Islands,UK |
 | |
| Map of Northern Constabulary's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 31,186 km² |
| Population | approx. 300,000 |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Inverness |
| Sworn members | Approx 715 |
| Agency executive |
|
| Divisions or Area Commands | 8 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 71 |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
editThis police force was formed on 16 May 1975 as a merger of the pre-existing Northern Constabulary, theRoss and Sutherland Constabulary(itself a merger ofRoss and Cromarty ConstabularyandSutherland Constabulary) and theInverness Constabulary(a merger ofInverness Burgh PoliceandInverness-shire Constabulary), along with the northernmost portion of theArgyll County Policearea, and the Nairn part of theScottish North East Counties Constabulary.The previous Northern Constabulary had been created in 1969 by the merger of theCaithness Constabulary,Orkney ConstabularyandZetland Constabulary.
The new Northern Constabulary was created at the same time aslocal governmentreorganisation created the Highlandregionalcouncil and theislands councilsof the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland. The rest of the Argyll County Police was merged into theStrathclyde Police,and the rest of the Scottish North East Counties Constabulary into theGrampian Police.
The Northern Constabulary area was the same as that covered by theHighlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service.
To help keep decision-making as local as possible, Northern was at the forefront nationally in Devolved Resource Management (DRM) for many years. TheChief Constableallocated one-line budgets to each of his Area Commanders, closely monitoring progress across a range of indicators, over the year, through regular Performance Review and Performance Review Boards.
AnAct of the Scottish Parliament,thePolice and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012,created a single Police Service of Scotland - known asPolice Scotland- with effect from 1 April 2013.[2]This merged the eight regional police forces in Scotland (including Northern Constabulary), together with theScottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency,into a single service covering the whole of Scotland.[3]Police Scotland has its headquarters at theScottish Police CollegeatTulliallaninFife.
Divisions and Area Commands
edit
Northern Constabulary was split into three Divisions: North, Central and East. In these three Divisions there were eight Area Commands, each with their own Area Commander.[4]The Area Commands were:
- Caithness Sutherland & East Ross
- Orkney
- Shetland
- Ross & Cromarty
- Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh
- Western Isles
- Inverness
- Badenoch, Strathspey & Nairn
Uniform
editUntil the early 21st century, the uniform consisted of a white shirt, black tie and a stab-proof vest. Northern Constabulary was the last police force in Scotland using shirts and ties. In 2009, the uniform changed to become similar to that of other police forces of Scotland: black shirt with force logo, stab-proof vest and black trousers.
Chief Constables
editChief constables were:[5]
- 1975–1985: Donald Burnie Henderson
- 1985–1996: Hugh MacMillan
- 1996–2001: William Robertson
- 2001–2011: Ian Latimer
- 2011–2013: George Graham
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Justice Support to Local Authorities, The Annual Report of the Scottish Executive
- ^STV NewsArchived15 January 2013 at theWayback Machine,30 October 2012
- ^"Police and fire service merger 'would save £1.7bn'".stv.tv.17 January 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 20 January 2012.Retrieved19 January2012.
- ^Northern Constabulary DivisionsArchived2 January 2010 at theWayback Machinenorthern.police.uk, accessed 31 December 2009
- ^"Northern Constabulary".Flickr.Retrieved16 July2018.