Located on the Southwest of Scotland the covers 2,649 square miles with a total population of 148,000, the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is one of the area’s most important public services. Ensuring one’s safety and promoting peace and order is every Police Force’s primary mission. But with the complexities and conflict that the present world brings, the law enforcers of the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary are dedicated to do more.
Based on the force’s title, it is divided into two areas where Galloway division on the west has a larger land area and Dumfries division on the east has a greater population. Galloway includes the local authority areas of Stewartry, Wigtown and Wigtown West. Within these local authorities, the towns of Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Stranraer, Portpatrick, Glenluce, Newton Stewart and Machars, along with many other smaller villages are covered by the force’s policing.
On the other side, Dumfries encompasses the local authority areas of Annandale & Eskdale and Nithsdale. The force covers a mixture of rural and urban areas of the main towns of Moffat, Lockerbie, Langholm, Annan, Gretna, Dumfries, Sanquhar, Thornhill and Locharbriggs, in addition to many smaller villages.
History of the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary
The Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is the oldest police force in Scotland. Though it is considered as a small force, it covers the third largest beat in the country and its history can be dated up to the 18th century.
Records have shown that there was already a way of policing in Dumfries and Galloway as early as 1788. It was in Dumfries Burgh when Constables were appointed by Justices who were appointed by the King to control the population. Aside from that, constables in the era were also responsible for apprehending vagrants, vagabonds, ‘night walkers’ and suspected persons.
It was a continuous process of mergers and amalgamations for several decades until it came to the 16th of February 1948 where the Dumfriesshire, Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Wigtownshire Constabularies amalgamated to form the present force, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary.
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary of Today
At present, the Southwest Scotland Police Force has a main headquarters located in Dumfries with nineteen stations and 508 sworn constables and 106 special constables. Its Chief Constable is Patrick Shearer QPM.
With hard work and dedication, their promise to the people and the society is to deliver a professional and high standard service to the people of Dumfries and Galloway. Through this, the services entail commitment to community policing, levels of crime across the region, the way they police the vast roads network and issues around the abuse of drugs and alcohol and a lot more. Everybody has their rights to protect and along with the Force, it can be strengthened.
Aside from operations that tackle crime-fighting and monitoring, the Dumfries and Galloway creates an effort to have a connection with the society. With easy to reach hotlines and an always welcoming headquarters, the Force ensures camaraderie with the society because after all, the welfare of everybody involves cooperation from the public and its organisations.
