Derbyshire police museum
Derby
Derby Police Museum, situated on Agard Street, Derby, is closed till further notice.
For any questions or comments during the closure, please contact our Force Records Manager on 07842601313
Buxton
The Derbyshire Police Memorabilia Collection was given to the Derbyshire County Council in 2004. It had previously been housed in the Police Museum at St. Mary's Gate in Derby but on the premises being sold a new home was required. It is now kept at the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery.
Most of the time there is only a small part on display, but touring exhibitions travel around Derbyshire, showing at libraries and other public venues. These are themed exhibitions and aim to enlighten and entertain the public, as well as highlighting important community issues - information is available at the Derbyshire County Council website.
The collection contains items from communications devices to confiscated weapons, uniform dating back to Victorian times numerous photographs and books. If you feel that the collection interests you or that you could use it in anyway contact should be made with Ros Westwood or Martha Lawrence, who will be able to assist with:
- Enquiries regarding the history of Derbyshire Police
- Provision of displays or objects for police events
- Photographs of Derbyshire Police from 1900
- Donation of items to the collection
- Research for an exhibition
Contact the museum on:
Buxton Museum and Art Gallery,
Terrace Road,
Buxton, SK17 6DA
Tel 01629 533540
Derbyshire Constabulary during WW1
The link below contains research from one of our officers - Mick Baker - who has compiled a history of the constabulary during the first World War, and a profile of the officers who died during the conflict.
His research has been published on the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO) website.
Return of historical police records and property
Members of the public may often have retired police officers or police staff among their families, relatives, or recent ancestors.
On leaving the police, ex-officers, ex-staff or other leavers are required to surrender all old police records or property in their possession back to their police employer, who are the lawful owners and data controllers of such property under the Data Protection Act 2018 and all related constabulary policies.
Unless the employing constabulary formally consented to and authorised the disposal or transfer of these records or property to the family member or their relatives or descendants, the records and property still belong to their former police employers.
Under no circumstances should retired police officers, staff, or their families, relatives or descendants offer police records or property for sale or auction or donation or gift without the consent and formal approval of their former constabulary.
For example, sometimes after a death of a former police officer or police staff member in the family, old notebooks, station ledgers, or other police records or property (such as medals, helmets, truncheons, handcuffs, uniforms or other police equipment) can come to light during a house clear-out, or after a discovery in the loft, attic or basement.
In such circumstances, members of the public should contact the relevant former employing constabulary immediately, and return the records or property to them for formal evaluation and lawful disposal.
If you have any questions, please contact the Derbyshire Constabulary Force Records Manager on 0300 122 6113 in the first instance.
Other records
You may wish to contact the County Council as they do have some police records. They can be contacted at the following website address:
or by contacting:
Derbyshire Records Office
County Hall
Matlock
DE4 3AG
The following may also be a source of help:
Derbyshire Family History Society
Library & Research Centre
Bridge Chapel House
St Mary's Bridge
Derby
Derby Local Studies Library
25b Irongate
Derby
Telephone: 01332 255393
Family Records Centre
1 Myddleton Street
London
EC1R 1UW
Telephone: 020 8392 5300.