Fife Constabulary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fife Constabulary |
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1949 |
| Dissolved | 2013 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom |
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| Map of Fife Constabulary's jurisdiction | |
| Size | 1,325 km2 (512 sq mi) |
| Population | 356,740 |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Glenrothes |
| Police Officers | 1027 |
| Special Constables | 119 |
| Agency executive |
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| Divisions | 3 |
| Website | |
| www.fife.police.uk | |
Fife Constabulary was a police force that looked after the area of Fife in Scotland. It was like the local police department for that region. Fife is a part of the United Kingdom.
The area that Fife Constabulary covered had more than 350,000 people living there. About a third of these people lived in the main towns: Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, and Glenrothes.
The force started in 1949. It was formed by joining together three smaller police forces: the Fife County, Dunfermline City, and Kirkcaldy Burgh police. When it first began, there were 345 police officers and 26 other staff members. In that first year, officers handled about 7,500 incidents.
By the time Fife Constabulary closed, it had 1,027 officers. They were helped by 119 Special Constables and about 538 support staff. Each year, the force dealt with around 65,000 incidents.
The main leader of the police force was called the Chief Constable. Their job was to make sure that police officers and resources were used in the best way. This helped meet the needs of local communities.
In 2012, a new law was passed in Scotland. It was called the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. This law created one big police service for all of Scotland. It is now known as Police Scotland. On April 1, 2013, Fife Constabulary and seven other regional police forces joined this new service. The headquarters for Police Scotland are in Tulliallan in Fife.
Contents
How the Force Was Organized
Fife Constabulary was split into three main areas, called Territorial Divisions. This helped them manage policing across the region.
Western Division
This division covered the western part of Fife. It had about 133,000 people living there. Its main office was in Dunfermline. The Scottish Police College is also located in this area, at Tulliallan Castle.
Central Division
The Central Division was the smallest in size. However, it had the most people, with about 148,000 residents. Its main office was in Kirkcaldy.
Eastern Division
This was the largest division in terms of land area. But it had the fewest people, with about 69,000 residents. Its main office was in Cupar. Another important town in this division was St Andrews.
Main Headquarters Building
Most of Fife Constabulary's main departments and special teams were based at their headquarters. This modern building was specially built for the police force. It is located at Detroit Road in Viewfield, Glenrothes. The headquarters opened on March 25, 1996.
Before this, the headquarters were in Dysart since 1975. The Glenrothes building had modern offices and places for training. It also had a lecture hall, a library, and workshops for vehicles and communications. There was even a television studio, a gym, and an indoor shooting range.
In 2004, a new Contact Centre opened at the headquarters. This allowed the force to put all their call handling and dispatch services in one place. Before this, these services were spread out across different police stations in Fife.
Local Police Stations
Fife Constabulary also had many smaller police stations. These were located in towns and villages across Fife. Some of these towns included:
- Aberdour
- Anstruther
- Auchtermuchty
- Ballingry
- Burntisland
- Cardenden
- Cowdenbeath
- Cupar
- Dalgety Bay
- Dunfermline
- Glenrothes
- Inverkeithing
- Kelty
- Kennoway
- Kincardine
- Leven
- Levenmouth
- Lochgelly
- Newmills
- Oakley
- Rosyth
- Tayport
- Wormit
Leaders of the Force
Here are the people who served as Chief Constables of Fife Constabulary:
- 1949–1955 : Sir John Inch
- 1955–1966 : Andrew Meldrum
- 1971–1984 : Robert Fraser Murison
- ?–1996 : William MacDougal Moodie
- 1996–2000 : John Hamilton
- 2001–2008 : Peter Wilson
- 2008–2012 : Norma Graham
- 2012–2013 : Andrew Barker
Fun Fact
Traffic officers from Fife Constabulary once appeared on the famous UK car show Top Gear. During a challenge, they pulled over the show's test driver, The Stig, for speeding. They even "arrested" him! Because of this, the show's presenters won the challenge.
See also
- Fife Constabulary Pipe Band
