Tayside Police Museum
Force Museum

  Introduction
  Force History
  Chief Constables
  Photo Galleries
  Contact the Museum
Situated within a quiet upstairs room at Police Headquarters, West Bell Street, Dundee, the museum boasts a remarkable collection of photographs, medals, uniform insignia, documents and even letters dating back to around the middle of the nineteenth century, a time when policing was in its infancy.

Constable Brown, Broughty Ferry, some time in the 19th century Tayside Police was formed on the 16th of May 1975 and is made up of a number of smaller City, Burgh and County Constabularies, tributaries which over the course of more than 150 years have successfully merged together to form the present Force.

Law enforcement has of course changed beyond all recognition since those dark distant times, but visitors will be pleased to note that items such as the birching bench, Victorian truncheons and even an old Special Branch briefcase used for the carriage of secret and sensitive documents, still retain a special place within our Force's long and proud history.

A dedicated display tells of the time when our former Chief Constable John R Little exchanged places with a civilian during a hostage situation, whilst on a lighter note visitors can admire the hand-made chess set meticulously created from cotton reels and police buttons. The City of Dundee Police Pipe Band merits more than just a mention within the museum and on a much darker and more sinister note visitors can cast their eyes over a sealed display of offensive weapons seized over the years throughout the Tayside Police area.

Perthshire Constabulary motorcycle patrols, 1924. On the left is a 1920 BSA combination, on the right a 1918 Douglas solo Visitors to the museum are made most welcome, group tours being a regular occurrence and are easily catered for.

The Honorary Curator Mr Willie MacFarlane is always very happy to assist with any items of police research, whether it be on a personal matter such as a family tree, or a more general subject such as the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster or even the Police Box system which once existed within the City of Dundee.


In order to obtain more information about the museum or to make an appointment to visit us please contact Irene Cumming, Executive Support on Dundee (01382) 596801 or click here to email us.

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