A FASCINATING glimpse into the historical archives and memorabilia of policing in Devon and Cornwall is being painstakingly preserved, catalogued and digitalised for generations to come.

The Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall – a registered charity – has amassed a collection made up of thousands of artefacts, documents and photographs charting local policing history and heritage dating back as far as 1790.

Decades of policing history would potentially be lost without it.

The collection is believed to be the biggest single collection in the UK.

The collection is owned and funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and includes police top hats that were later replaced with helmets; capes, some of which have been traced back to their original owners; historic cell doors; decommissioned handmade grenades; replica guns; old-fashioned police lamps, intricately hand painted and etched truncheons dating back to Victorian times, and even punishment stocks from the 1800s.

It is predicted it will take eight years to digitalise the entire collection.

So far, around 10,000 contemporary and historic items – solely from Devon and Cornwall have been catalogued.

The collection continues to grow on a regular basis, often through donations from former officers who are now retired, and items given by families of former police officers.

It exists thanks to former Police Constable Brian Estill. When Devon and Cornwall amalgamated together as one force in 1967, he was concerned that there was no heritage policy within the force.

Brian became affectionately known as the ‘original skip diver’ as he salvaged many historic items from being thrown out.

The collection is now maintained by a small team, including dedicated trustees and volunteers.

However, public access to it is limited due to much of it being kept in working police stations.

It was originally housed at Middlemoor Police Station and was then moved to Okehampton Police Station in 2004.

A mini-museum has been established in Tavistock’s Court Gate and is open on selected days from spring to early autumn.

During the winter, viewing is by prior appointment or for special events in the town.

The archive material – made up of thousands of photographs and documents – is held at the Devon Heritage Centre, in Exeter, and has helped many families find out fascinating information about their ancestors.

Throughout the year, the museum is asked to give talks and set up exhibitions at different venues or gives special access for events such as Heritage Open Days.

Thanks to recent grants from the OPCC and Devon & Cornwall Police among others, it is now in a strong position to continue its work to digitalise the collection and seek opportunities to find a permanent home for some of its collection in Cornwall.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: ‘Devon and Cornwall are privileged to have such a fascinating collection of policing memorabilia which tells a remarkable story of how policing has evolved over many decades.

‘It is important that it remains accessible to all, and I am grateful to all those, especially volunteers, who are making that possible and look forward to seeing it shared even more widely through the online channels’.