Cheshire Constabulary

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**Cheshire Constabulary**
Coverage
Cheshire Constabulary area
Area	Cheshire
Size	946
Population	980,000
Operations
Formed	1974
HQ	Clemonds Hey Winsford
Officers	2,207
Divisions/Areas/BCUs	3
Stations	24
Chief Constable	Peter Fahy

Website	Cheshire Police

Cheshire Constabulary is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the English non-metropolitan county of Cheshire and the unitary authorities of Halton (including Runcorn, and Widnes) and Warrington.

Under proposals made by the Home Secretary on February 6, 2006, it would merge with Merseyside Police to form a strategic police force. [1] These proposals have now been abandoned.

The current Chief Constable of the Cheshire Constabulary is Mr Peter Fahy. The current Deputy Chief Constable is Mr Graeme Gerrard. The two Assistant Chief Constables are Mr Christopher Richards and Mr David Griffin.

In 2004 six divisions existed based on the district/unitary council areas:

In late 2004 the structure was changed with three Areas (BCUs), headed by a Chief Superintendent. Within these areas are Neighbourhood Policing Units headed by an Inspector.

Northern Area
Covering Warrington and Halton Unitary Areas

Runcorn
Warrington Central
Warrington East (Risley Police Station)
Warrington South (Stockton Heath Police Station)
Warrington West (Great Sankey Police Station)
Widnes

Eastern Area
Covering the boroughs of Macclesfield, Congleton and Crewe & Nantwich

Congleton
Crewe
Knutsford
Macclesfield
Nantwich
Wilmslow

Western Area
Covering the City of Chester and the boroughs of Vale Royal and Ellesmere Port & Neston

Chester Inner (Police Office, Town Hall)
Chester Outer (Chester Police Station)
Ellesmere Port
Northwich
Western Rural (Frodsham Police Station)
Winsford

[edit] History

Formed in 1857 it is now responsible for policing an area of 946 square miles (2,328.5 square kilometres) with a population of 980,000. The first Chief Constable was Captain Thomas Johnnes Smith, late of the Bedfordshire Militia. The first full Cheshire Police Committee met at the Crewe Arms Hotel, Crewe, on 3 February 1857 under the Chairmanship of Mr Trafford Trafford and the new Cheshire Constabulary was officially formed on 20 April 1857.

The first Headquarters was established at 4 Seller Street, Chester. In 1862 this office was removed to 1 Egerton Street, Chester and remained there until 1870, when it was removed to 113 Foregate Street, Chester. In 1893 the Court of Quarter Sessions approved the building of a new Headquarters which was erected at 142 Foregate Street, at a cost not exceeding £2,000 and this continued to be used, together with the adjoining buildings, until 1967. In 1967 a new purpose built Headquarters was opened at Nuns Road, Chester. This building served the Constabulary until 2004 when the Headquarters building moved to a purpose built state of the art complex at Clemonds Hey, Winsford.

The Museum of Policing in Cheshire preserves and researches the heritage of policing in the county.