Port of Liverpool Police
Encyclopedia
The Port of Liverpool Police is a small police force with the responsibility of policing the Liverpool
, Bootle
, Birkenhead
, Ellesmere Port and Eastham Dock Estates and Freeports, as well as the Manchester Ship Canal
areas in the north- west of England
.
. Its officers receive their Long Service and Good Conduct medals from the department .
whilst on the 70 square miles (181.3 km²) area of the jurisdiction which is England and Wales.The force employs under 100 police officers, of whom 5 comprise the Criminal Investigation Department
.
As with any Home Office police force, officers are required to sit and pass the OSPRE promotion examinations to be considered for promotion to Sergeant and Inspector. Further promotion within the force falls down to selection, merit and budget allowance.
No. 1224 of 1975.
The dock has had a dedicated police force throughout its history, though not always constantly:
The Manchester Ship Canal had a separate police force, the Manchester Ship Canal Police
, from its founding in 1893 until 1993.
The Port of Liverpool Police have entered into a 'memorandum of understanding' with Merseyside Police
, the territorial police force with statutory responsibility for policing Merseyside, which sets out how the two forces operate together and the sharing of certain resources, for example, custodial facilities..
The port police respond to the report of all crimes and emergencies within the port area. However, according to the memorandum, they may call upon Merseyside Police where a situation is outside of its operational abilities. Merseyside Police will take over the handling of a major incident, whilst assisted by the Port of Liverpool Police, and investigations with regard to:
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Bootle
Bootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
, Ellesmere Port and Eastham Dock Estates and Freeports, as well as the Manchester Ship Canal
Manchester Ship Canal
The Manchester Ship Canal is a river navigation 36 miles long in the North West of England. Starting at the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire. Several sets of locks lift...
areas in the north- west of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Mandate
The Port of Liverpool police is accountable to the Department for TransportDepartment for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
. Its officers receive their Long Service and Good Conduct medals from the department .
Role, function and organisation
In the discharge of their duty, the officers of the force hold the full powers of the office of constableConstable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
whilst on the 70 square miles (181.3 km²) area of the jurisdiction which is England and Wales.The force employs under 100 police officers, of whom 5 comprise the Criminal Investigation Department
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
.
Vehicles
The force has a small number of vehicles, their newest being a '10 plate Land Rover Defender 110. They also have Ford Focus patrol cars and Ford Transit vans, Toyota Hilux's. The force also has several K9 patrols and a river patrol boat.Rank structure
The rank structure of the Port of Liverpool Police is smaller than that used in most UK police forces, as shown below.- Chief Officer (The post is currently held by Peter Clarke)
- Superintendent (Deputy Chief Officer)
- Sergeant
- Constable
As with any Home Office police force, officers are required to sit and pass the OSPRE promotion examinations to be considered for promotion to Sergeant and Inspector. Further promotion within the force falls down to selection, merit and budget allowance.
History
In its present form, the force has existed since the 19th of June, 1975, when it was created by The Mersey Docks and Harbour (Police) Order, statutory instrumentStatutory Instrument
A Statutory Instrument is the principal form in which delegated or secondary legislation is made in Great Britain.Statutory Instruments are governed by the Statutory Instruments Act 1946. They replaced Statutory Rules and Orders, made under the Rules Publication Act 1893, in 1948.Most delegated...
No. 1224 of 1975.
The dock has had a dedicated police force throughout its history, though not always constantly:
- From 1811- 37, the Liverpool Dock Police patrolled much the same area until its merger with the Liverpool Borough Police Force
- In 1852, 40 officers were transferred to the Liverpool Fire Brigade for the purpose of policing the docks
- In 1865 the River Mersey Police took responsibility for policing these areas until 1920, after which they were policed by territorial forces
- In 1975, with the passing of the above SI, the current body was formed. It became fully operational in July 1976
The Manchester Ship Canal had a separate police force, the Manchester Ship Canal Police
Manchester Ship Canal Police
Manchester Ship Canal Police was a police force in the United Kingdom that was responsible for policing the Manchester Ship Canal...
, from its founding in 1893 until 1993.
Jurisdiction
The force has jurisdiction over the whole of the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal. Officers can discharge their duties throughout England and Wales.The Port of Liverpool Police have entered into a 'memorandum of understanding' with Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
, the territorial police force with statutory responsibility for policing Merseyside, which sets out how the two forces operate together and the sharing of certain resources, for example, custodial facilities..
The port police respond to the report of all crimes and emergencies within the port area. However, according to the memorandum, they may call upon Merseyside Police where a situation is outside of its operational abilities. Merseyside Police will take over the handling of a major incident, whilst assisted by the Port of Liverpool Police, and investigations with regard to:
- MurderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
- RapeRapeRape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
- FirearmFirearmA firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s incidents - Public disorder
- Other incidents requiring specialist resources
- TerrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
See also
- Merseyside policeMerseyside PoliceMerseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
- Mersey Tunnels PoliceMersey Tunnels PoliceThe Mersey Tunnels Police is a small, non-Home Office police force which polices the Mersey Tunnels in Merseyside, England on behalf of the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority.-Role and powers:...
- Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
- Port of LiverpoolPort of LiverpoolThe Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...