26 March 2013
Scotland's police history marked in new exhibition
Image is from the upcoming exhibition
As Scotland prepares to move to a single police force, a new exhibition at the University of Dundee tells the story of the boys in blue who have sought to keep the nation's streets safe for more than 200 years.
'Policing the Nation: An Exhibition about the History of Policing in Scotland' opens at the Lamb Gallery, Tower Building, on Monday, 1st April, and features photographs, film, documents and artefacts drawn from collections across the country.
The development of Scottish policing over the past two centuries will be explored, highlighting many of the reforms and innovations that were adopted in response to the constantly changing social, political and technological contexts of modern Scotland.
Dr Murray Frame, of the University's History department, has been researching the history of policing, and has helped shape the exhibition. He says that, as we move into a new era of policing, the events, developments and progress of the past 200 years should be acknowledged.
"In many ways, modern policing bears no resemblance to that of the 19th century but the principle of upholding the law remains the same," he said. "The development of policing is a fascinating story that touches every aspect of cultural, social, political and economic life in Scotland and has led to the situation we have today.
"From bobbies on the beat to cutting-edge forensics techniques, Scotland's police have sought to solve crimes keep the nation safe and respond to the ever-evolving challenges they face. We are delighted to bring together artefacts from the past two centuries to tell this story and celebrate Scotland's law enforcement officers as we move to a new era of a single force covering the entire country."
Modern policing in Scotland dates from 1800, when a police force was established in Glasgow by Royal Assent, long before the famous London Metropolitan Police Act of 1829. Other parts of the country soon followed Glasgow's lead and established their own forces, including Dundee in 1824.
The Police Act (Scotland) of 1857 required all burghs to have their own force, and the whole of Scotland soon came to be served by local constabularies during the latter decades of the nineteenth century.
At one stage, there were over 100 separate police forces in Scotland, but the number declined during the twentieth century as a result of amalgamations into larger forces. In 1975 eight regional forces were created, and these will be replaced by one single national authority, known as Police Scotland, from April 2013.
The subjects covered in the exhibition include:
- Uniforms and accessories.
- Communications equipment.
- Transport.
- Women in policing.
- Training and professionalisation.
- Detectives and criminal investigation.
- Enforcement techniques
- Police and popular culture.
The exhibition also features a section devoted to the portrayal of Scottish police in comics starring, among other, PC Murdoch of 'The Broons' fame, and a selection of public information films about the police, including the work of the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan.
'Policing the Nation: An Exhibition about the History of Policing in Scotland' takes place at the Lamb Gallery from 1st April to 31st May. The exhibition is free, and open from 9.30am to 8.30pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 4.30pm on Saturdays.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
