History/Museum

Greater Manchester Police came into existence on 1 April 1974. The Manchester and Salford joint force amalgamated with portions of the Lancashire, Cheshire and West Yorkshire Constabulary forces, producing the largest provincial force in England and Wales. At that time it had an establishment of 6,628 officers (actual strength 5,545) and 1,796 civilian staff, and dealt with 102,144 crimes reported to the police.

The amalgamation followed local Government reorganisation throughout the country.   A Force Advisory Group had been set up in June 1972 comprising senior police officers from those areas in and around Manchester affected by the changes.   The new areas to be policed covered a total of almost 500 square miles with a population of 2.75 million inhabitants.
 
From the outset it was agreed that administrative, personnel and other services, including traffic and CID, would be centrally controlled by five Assistant Chief Constables based at the former City police headquarters at Southmill Street, Manchester.   The City of Manchester was to be divided into five separate police areas to be known as A-E Divisions with their Divisional headquarters in A-City, B-Collyhurst, C-Bradford, D-Longsight and E-Rusholme. The boundaries of the nine outer territorial Divisions would be co-terminus with those of the newly created local Metropolitan Borough Councils; thus F-Salford, G-Tameside, J-Stockport, K-Bolton, L-Wigan, M-Trafford, N-Bury, P-Rochdale and Q-Oldham. Upon amalgamation on 1 April 1974 the Greater Manchester Police Authority, comprising councillors and magistrates representing the Greater Manchester area, replaced the old City police Watch Committee.
 
 
The first Chief Constable of GMP was Mr William James Richards.   He took over the force at a time when there was unprecedented growth in crime such robbery and assault.   Newer crimes such as large-scale drug trafficking, hi-jacking of expensively laden lorries and armed raids on stores and building societies also threatened the fabric of local life.   It was finally decided to set up specialised police squads to attempt to tackle these problems, often liaising at a national level, and the success of these squads in combating many forms of high-level crime continues today.   Within five days of amalgamation, the new force was put to the test when on 6 April the IRA planted bombs at the Manchester Magistrates' Courts, resulting in many deaths and injuries.

Click here to read the full History of GMP.