Durham Constabulary


Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Unitary authorities County Durham and Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the 43 territorial police forces that service England and Wales. Durham is Home Office force 11.
Durham Constabulary is managed by Chief Constable Jo Farrell and her Executive Team, composed of Deputy Chief Constable Dave Orford, Temporary Assistant Chief Constable John Ward, Assistant Chief Officer Gary Ridley and Special Chief Officer Dale Checksfield.
The force operates through a number of functional commands: Neighbourhood And Safeguarding, Response Policing, Crime and Criminal Justice, Tasking and Co-ordination and Support Services, which all report to the Executive Team.
Since 2010 Durham Constabulary and neighbouring Cleveland Police have shared road policing and firearms teams through a joint Specialist Operations Unit. These officers are based at Wynyard Park Business Park and Spennymoor. Durham and Cleveland Police have shared a Tactical Training Centre in Urlay Nook, near Teesside International Airport, since 2001.

History

Durham Constabulary was one of the first county police forces to be set up, built in 1839. The force absorbed Durham City Police in 1921, Hartlepool Borough Police in 1947, Sunderland Borough Police in 1967, and Gateshead Borough Police and South Shields Borough Police in 1968, when it also lost some of its area to Teesside Constabulary.
In 1965, the force had an establishment of 1,763 and an actual strength of 1,626.
Under the Local Government Act 1972, in 1974, the northern area of the force became part of Northumbria Police, with Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees in the south-east going to Cleveland Constabulary

Chief Constables

The lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty. The Police Memorial Trust since its establishment in 1984 has erected over 38 memorials to some of those officers.
Since 1960 the following officers of Durham Constabulary were killed while attempting to prevent or stop a crime in progress: