The thick blue line of Portsmouth bobbies

Correspondent Eddie Wallace, a former Portsmouth Police sergeant, gave me some figures to work on.

Apart from the fact there were half-a-dozen police stations open 24 hours a day, there were 350 constables rostered in the city including Cosham.

In charge of these constables were 71 sergeants and five temporary sergeants. Above them there were eight superintendents, four chief inspectors and 41 inspectors.

There were also policewomen of course, of which there were 16 constables with one inspector and three sergeants.

Is it any wonder there were few villains in the city during that period?

The following year, the Portsmouth City Police Force came to an end when it was amalgamated into Hampshire Constabulary.

It was after this that the local Bobby on his beat, who knew his area, came to an end.