Having worked for many years within the archives of the Metropolitan Police it is evident that many family historians with police ancestors turn first to Scotland Yard for the answer to their queries.  'The Yard' is expected to have every service record for every officer throughout the country - queries are even received for the records of officers who served in South Africa, Korea and Australia.  So perhaps this is a good place to advise that Metropolitan Police records only cover the Metropolitan Police.  They do not include the records of the City of London Police, British Transport Police, Port of London Authority, Parks Constabulary nor of any of the county constabularies nor Colonial Police forces. However, just to make things interesting Metropolitan Police officers were posted to docks throughout the country and can even be found in Wales during colliery strikes in the early 20th. century.

The records of colonial police forces will be held (if they have survived) in the archives of the country concerned - but much useful information can also be found scattered throughout the records of the Colonial Office and Foreign Office which are held at The National Archives, Kew. 

On The Bund in Shanghai

The following forces have their own pages in this web:

If you would like to know more about your police ancestor, whether they served at home or abroad, please contact:

twiglet.thomas@tiscali.co.uk

Home/The Orient/Colonial Cemetery/The Project/Police/Met.Police/Hong Kong Police/UK/Terms

Last modified: 23/10/2005