Selection of offences and penalties 1844A history of policing in Manchester 1839-1974History of Greater Manchester Police 1974-2007
Greater Manchester Police Museum - History
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The history of policing in Manchester
The earliest record of a local law officer officer in Greater Manchester was in 1252 – the local Constable of Rochdale. But it was not until 1792 that established patrols of watchmen were organised, one for Salford and one for Manchester.
Other police forces also formed:
- 1836: Wigan Borough Police
- 1839: Lancashire County Constabulary
- 1839: Manchester Borough Police, Bolton Borough Police
- 1844: Salford Borough Police
- 1848: Ashton-under-Lyne Borough Police
- 1849: Oldham Borough Police
- 1857: Cheshire Constabulary, Rochdale Borough Police, Stalybridge Borough Police
- 1870: Stockport Borough Police
- 1899: Hyde Borough Police
- 1947: Stalybridge and Hyde forces join Cheshire Constabulary
- 1947: Ashton-under-Lyne joins Lancashire Constabulary
- 1967: Stockport merges into Cheshire Constabulary
- 1968: Salford and Manchester City merge to create the Manchester and Salford Police Force
- 1969: Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan join Lancashire Constabulary
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Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police came into existence on 1st April 1974 to serve the newly created metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The Salford and Manchester forces joined with sections of the Lancashire, Cheshire and West Yorkshire Constabulary, absorbing the City of Manchester Airport Police in 1976.
Covering 500 square miles and serving a population of 2.5 million people, GMP is the largest provincial force in England and Wales. It is also the second-largest police force in Britain, after the Metropolitan Police in London.
- Our detailed Timeline features more key dates
- A detailed history of GMP from 1974-2007
- A history of the Special Constabulary in Manchester
- A history of women in policing in Manchester
- A biography of Sir Robert Peel - the Lancashire born father of modern policing
- A detailed history of the truncheon
- Getting in trouble with the police in the mid-nineteenth century was an entirely different affair. Find out how much you were fined for letting a goat pull your cart, for leaving your house unpainted or allowing your pigs to stray.
- Life in 1900 was not easy. Discover a detailed account of wages and cost of living for town dwellers in 1900.
- Numerous images of the history of policing in Manchester can be found on GMP's Flickr site under Historical Police Images and Old Police Vehicles.
William James Richards took over GMP during an unprecedented rise in crimes like robbery and assault. Newer crimes like large-scale drug trafficking, hi-jacking of lorries and armed raids on stores and building societies threatened the fabric of local life.
Specialised police squads were assembled to tackle these problems. Within five days, the new force was put to the test when the IRA planted bombs at the Manchester Magistrates' Courts on the 6th of April.
GMP's current Chief Constable
GMP's current Chief Constable is Peter Fahy. Read his biography, and that of the Command Team.
Police divisions in 1974
Administration, personnel and other services – including traffic and CID – were centrally controlled at the Southmill Street police headquarters. Greater Manchester was then split into areas, or divisions:
| A City | J Stockport |
| B Collyhurst | K Bolton |
| C Bradford | L Wigan |
| D Longsight | M Trafford |
| E Rusholme | N Bury |
| F Salford | P Rochdale |
| G Tameside | Q Oldham |
Police divisions in 2010
GMP’s headquarters are now at Chester House headquarters in Old Trafford and are due to move to specialist buildings in Newton Heath in 2011. Some divisions have been merged and renamed since 1974. Each division is split into several Neighbourhood Policing Team communities, as well as response officers and detectives.
| A North Manchester (inc. City Centre) |
L Wigan |
| B Metropolitan | M Trafford |
| C South Manchester | N Bury |
| F Salford | P Rochdale |
| G Tameside | J Stockport |
| K Bolton | Q Oldham |
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