Pounding the streets of Tynemouth
LOCAL HISTORIAN CHARLIE STEEL, IN HIS LATEST FEATURE FOR THE CHRONICLE, PROVIDES A BRIEF HISTORY OF TYNEMOUTH BOROUGH POLICE FORCE
RESIDENTS and visitors alike have commented on the sandstone facade, representing the coat of arms of the former Borough of Tynemouth, that can be found at the foot of Front Street.
It was restored some years ago by John Jackson, a former policeman and stonemason, and it came from the old police station in Oxford Street, which closed in the 1920s and was demolished in the 1950s to make way for new housing.
Tynemouth Village was situated too far away from the North Shields police headquarters in Saville Street to be adequately policed, so the Oxford Street station was built shortly after the formation of Tynemouth Borough Police in 1850.
The new station was equipped with offices and cells, and the rear yard was used for drill and stabling purposes, as transport was confined to horseback or size 10 boots! The residents of the village began to enjoy a hitherto unknown level of policing, for until then parish constables or watchmen appointed by local businessmen, justices of the peace and parish officials were the only means of protection afforded, and they fell woefully short of necessity.
The duties of these early stalwarts included patrolling the streets and narrow alleys both day and night – but especially the latter – and dealing with whatever lawbreaking activities they encountered.
As most of them were poorly paid and often in other employment, the standard of policing was predictably low, with many a ‘blind eye’ being turned if an element of danger was threatened.
Primitive street lighting maintenance was the province of the watchman, as well as sewage and the clearing of litter. Little wonder the job was not a popular one. With the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, towns and cities (depending on their population size) were bound to form organised, disciplined and controlled police forces.
Tynemouth fell into this category, but delayed forming such a force until January 1, 1850, probably because the Charter of Incorporation giving County Borough status was not instituted until 1849. (Meanwhile, the town of North Shields had employed 10 fully uniformed men to patrol the main areas and waterfront since 1828).
On its formation, Tynemouth Borough Police was under the command of Robert Mitchell, a superintendent from London’s Metropolitan Police which had been in successful operation since 1829. The Tynemouth force was increased numerically and split into three divisions: Central (Saville Street), West End (Lawson Street) and Tynemouth (Oxford Street).
Chief Constable Blackburn introduced police boxes in 1929, while the first vehicle, an Alvis, was bought in 1933.
From 1959, the then local licensing authority (pre-DVLA) issued Tynemouth Borough Police with the registration numbers AFT 1 through to KFT 1, some of which are shown in the photograph above, which was taken near the bottom of Little Bedford Street.
As these innovations usefully addressed the need for better communications, the two outlying stations were decommissioned, and the force operated from the central police station on Saville Street.
The borough had initially been divided into 12 ‘beats’, but by the time of the first police amalgamation of 1969, these had increased to 22 and were coupled into areas when, in 1965, the ‘Panda’ car system was introduced.
In 1974, a second amalgamation occurred, and this was when Tynemouth Borough Police ceased to exist in its own right.
The merger with Northumberland Constabulary, Newcastle City Police, Gateshead Borough, Sunderland and South Shields Borough saw the Tynemouth force swallowed up to form part of the current Northumbria Police.
■ ■Compiled with the assistance of the late Ken Banks.
■ ■Born in Newcastle, local historian and author Charlie Steel has spent much of his life living in Monkseaton. With a lifelong interest in the North Tyneside area, he has several published books to his credit.
They include Monkseaton Village (Part 1 & 2), Whitley Bay Remembered (Part 1 & 2), North Shields Public Houses, Inns & Taverns (Part 1 & 2) and Tynemouth Remembered – all published by Summerhill Books.