Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary

Any article on the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary must by perforce be brief, as the very existence of the force was brief almost here and gone in the blink of an eye.

On the 1st of April 1967, the Liverpool City Police and the County Borough of Bootle Police ceased to exist as individual Forces and the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary was born.

This was not to everyone’s liking and there was resistance in both Camps, I well remember sitting in front of the television watching a news report from outside Bootle Town Hall where a petition had been presented by the general public for reinstatement of the Borough Police. This was not to be and the amalgamation took place.

In general the bonding together of both forces went smoothly enough under the Leadership of the Chief Constable
Sir James Haughton, late Chief Constable of Liverpool City Police.

The Chief Constable of Bootle Borough Police, Mr. Legg, was appointed a senior officer within the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary.

Sir James was the sole occupier of the post of Chief Constable throughout the life of the New Force and carried it into the amalgamations of 1974 to become, with parts of Lancashire and Cheshire Constabularies, the Merseyside Police on the 1st of April 1974 and so on that date the life of the Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary ended after just seven years.

Both Forces had their die hards and although the Liverpool Badges were the Official issue to the new force, Bootle men could be seen wearing the Bootle Borough issue insignia during the life of the new force. The situation was not helped by the inexplicable decision not to issue Liverpool and Bootle insignia, which was not in fact ordered until 1971 and issued in 1972 just two years before the force ceased to exist.

The Liverpool and Bootle Constabulary insignia consisted of a shield within which was a St Andrews cross the upper and lower portions of the cross had a crown in place and the two side portions sported a liver bird. The oval wreath Helmet plate of Liverpool City was replaced by a star. Collar badges were not issued but well up to 1974 and beyond the Liverbird of Liverpool and the Lighthouse of Bootle could be seen on the lapels of the aforementioned die hard.

Peter Dellius