Policing in Great Nortend

His Majesty's Constabularies Office
Office overview
Jurisdiction	Great Nortend
Headquarters	Fettercourt, Lendert-with-Cadell, Great Nortend
Ministry
Under-Clerk of Constabularies	Frederic de Pryde-Gisham
King's Clerk	Sir Aaron Billings
Parent ministry	H. M. Clerk's Office
Part of a series on the Government of Great Nortend
The Crown	Alexander II
Ministry Privy Council Great Council Departments Treasury Exchequery Chancery Board of Almonry Church of Nortend Clerk's Office Board of Constabularies Board of Education Board of Health Board of Information Foreign Office War Office Royal Army Navy Royal Trade Office Board of Agriculture Board of Highways Board of Mails Board of Railways Board of Works

Regular policing in Great Nortend is undertaken by county and borough constabularies commanded by appointed commissioners answering to the county sheriff and thence to the King's lieutenant. All constabularies are under the ministerial jurisdiction the Constabularies Office of the King's Clerk who coordinates the regional constabularies on a national and inter-county level.

As officers of the Crown, police constables swear allegiance to the Sovereign in the exercise of the King's prerogative duty to keep the peace. Constbles are accorded statutory and customary rights, duties and privileges over that of ordinary persons. For instance, despite being a civilian force, policemen are entitled to carry small arms, and may search persons and property with good cause. Their general duties involve deterring crime by patrolling the streets („walking the beat”), investigating crime, dealing with breaches of the peace, enforcing the law and giving help to the public.

Organisation

The first police forces evolved from the mediaeval system of watchmen, constables and other parish officers who were charged with the maintenance of the peace. In the 19th century, this developed into a system of police constabularies by the Constabularies Act, 56 Edm. VII. which require the sheriff and yeomen of right of each county or borough to combine the existing ad hoc system of local policing into a centrally administered constabulary force.

The sixty-five constabularies formed under the Constabularies Act are organised on a county-by-county basis, under the ministerial control of the King's Clerk who has responsibility over domestic security and law enforcement. This is exercised through the Under-Clerk for Constabularies who heads the Constabularies Office, a sub-office of the Clerk's Office. The Constabularies Office is the main liaison office between the Government and the police constabularies. Each constabulary is under the jurisdiction of the sheriff of the county, although the sheriff himself is mainly a ceremonial position.

Structure

Local policing is based in police houses where junior constables live.

Policemen may be summoned at a police call pillar or by dialling 000.

Operational policing is undertaken by bodies of constables known as constabularies, each whereof independent of another. There are sixty-five constabularies through the country. Each has a particular territorial jurisdiction known as a constablewick. Most constabularies have a constablewick over an entire county. Twelve boroughs have their own independent constabularies, although most boroughs share their constabulary with the wider county.

Most constabularies are organised in a hierarchy of four levels :—

• Parish

There is a police house in most parishes. An Underconstable, Constable or Serjeant is in charge of the police house, depending on size and importance.

• Subdivision

A subdivision consists of several parishes in a locality commanded by an officer of the rank of Intendent. A Superintendent is based in the largest settlement of the subdivision, where a police station is located.

• Division

A division is a grouping of subdivisions corresponding to a hundred or a group of hundreds or a borough. It is commanded by the High Constable of the hundreds within the division. Most constabularies have around eight to ten divisions.

• Constablewick

Commissioners, Under-Commissioners and Tipstaves operate from the constabulary headquarters. Each constabulary has a D. S. division (Detective Services division) and an S. S. division (Special Services division). The former is tasked with investigative and detective police work whilst the latter encompasses a variety of different branches such as the Dog Branch, the Mounted Branch, the Firearms Branch (often called the Gendarmery) and the Security Branch.

Ranks

The Constabularies Act did not abolish the traditional offices of constable, high constable and sheriff who were the officers of the peace for a parish, hundred/borough and county respectively. Rather, it formalised the existing system of ad hoc assistants, deputies and deputies of deputies over several different recognised offices, titled inter alia watchmen, underconstables, beadles, bailiffs, undertipstaves and tipstaves. This ensured that all such officers of the peace had a constable's customary powers.

As such, any policeman may exercise his statutory powers anywhere in Great Nortend. Furthermore, the Lady Constables Act, 10 Edm. IX., permitted women to join constabularies for the first time, with most of the statutory and customary law powers of male constables. Lady constables are, however, restricted to the ranks of watchman, underconstable, constable and serjeant.

Insignia	(No insignia)
Rank	Watchman	Under- Constable	Constable	Serjeant	Inspector	Intendent	Superintendent	High Constable	Tipstaff	Under- Commissioner	Commissioner
Abbreviation	Wchmn.	U. Cble.	Cble.	Sjt.	Insp.	Int.	Supt.	H. Cble.	Tip.	U. Cmmsr.	Cmmsr.

Duties and powers

Two constables executing writs. Note the cords and satchels in which the writs are kept.

The constabulary have a wide range of duties as the main public symbol of the law and Royal authority. Their basic duty is to enforce the natural right of the Kingdom and to keep the King's peace as officers of the peace. To this end, constables are required to patrol the streets and public areas to deter and prevent crime, pursue and bring to justice those who break the law, and to protect, help and reassure the people.

An officer of the peace's customary and statutory powers are adapted to these ends. All constables, including watchmen and under-constables, for the lawful undertaking of his duties, are empowered to varying extent depending on circumstances and necessity to :—

• detain persons
• enter premises
• search persons and premises
• restrict entry to premises
• seize property
• arrest and capture persons
• quell and subdue breaches of the peace
• raise a posse comitatus
• order persons to do or not to do certain actions
• demand names and addresses from persons
• injure, maim or kill persons with force.

As officers of the sheriff of the county, constables are also employed for executing writs, both original and judicial, and in criminal, common (civil) and ecclesiastical matters. Various kinds of writs issued by judges, such as venire facias, capias, distringas, fieri facias, habere facias &c., are used to give power to constables to bring persons to court, to capture persons to bring them to court, to distrain goods, to seize land, to search property, to sell goods &c.

Uniform and equipment

A police intendent in undress uniform.

As a civilian service, policemen wear blue tunics as their daily undress operational uniform, with knee boots and overalls and a peaked forage cap. Lady constables wear skirts instead of overalls. Many constabularies wear helmets as part of the police uniform when on the beat, instead of the forage cap. Instead of full dress or mess dress as worn by the Armed Forces, civilian morning and evening dress are worn as appropriate when not on duty.

For personal equipment, all police officers carry a police whistle, a wooden truncheon and a pair of handcuffs. Policemen carry pistols; however, their firing is very uncommon. Body armour is worn underneath or over the tunic to protect against stabbings and minor shootings; however, the low level of gun or knife violence generally means it is unnecessary. It is sometimes believed that the true reason for the body armour is to correct posture and prevent slouching.

Police vehicles vary between constabularies; however, most use types of dark blue or swart saloons, fitted with a „Winkworth” police bell and a roof-mounted light box. Horse-drawn police vehicles have not been in use since the mid-20th century; however, mounted police are in very regular use.

List of constabularies

• Aceshire Constabulary
• Almeshire Constabulary
• Barard Constabulary
• Barminstershire Constabulary
• Bentshire Constabulary
• Derhamshire Constabulary
• Eamshire Constabulary
• Enley Constabulary
• Essingfordshire Constabulary
• Fawnshire Constabulary
• Gortland Constabulary
• Harvickshire Constabulary
• Herstlow Constabulary
• Heymeadshire Constabulary
• Igoxeter Constabulary
• Larkshire Constabulary
• Leaton Constabulary
• Merst Constabulary
• Narland Constabulary
• Norsaxer Constabulary
• Poltland Constabulary
• Redwickshire Constabulary
• Seffet Constabulay
• Suthrepourdeland Constabulary
• Swent Constabulary
• Walecestershire Constabulary
• Teyshire Constabulary
• Towshire Constabulary
• County Allells Constabulary
• Cardenbridge Constabulary
• Murish Constabulary
• Bissex Constabulary
• Eastlord Constabulary
• Despenshire Constabulary
• Esxshire Constabulary
• Ganningshire Constabulary
• March Constabulary
• Minnerland Constabulary
• Rhightonshire Constabulary
• Rocklehamshire Constabulary
• Toleshire Constabulary
• Chepingstow Constabulary
• City Constabulary
• Echester Constabulary
• Essingford Constabulary
• Fawnslaughter Constabulary
• Fivewells Constabulary
• Gibbingham Constabulary
• Heymead Constabulary
• Keys Constabulary
• King's Rhighton Constabulary
• Limmes Cathedral Constabulary
• Limmes Constabulary
• Mast Constabulary
• Mooping Constabulary
• Oxley Constabulary
• Polton Constabulary
• Rhise Constabulary
• Scode Cathedral Constabulary
• Sulhampton Constabulary
• Sulthey Constabulary
• St. Cleaves Constabulary
• St. Peter's Constabulary
• Tretford Constabulary
• Hastican Constabulary

See also

• Home Service