It is hard to imagine that the town once had its own police force. The old police station and gaol, established in 1834, were in Fore Street. The gaol had separate accommodation for men and women, overseen by James Bussell. The town police force consisted of the chief constable, two sergeants and ten constables, governed by the Watch Committee. In 1875, they moved to the High Street where they remained until 1911 when they settled in Northgate in what is now the magistrates’ court house adjacent to the current police station. In October 1940, the force was finally merged into the county constabulary and the present building was erected in 1966, after an embarrassing disaster where the partly erected construction collapsed.
Text Copyright © 2008 Roger Evans
