Police Records Locations
Police Records Locations
Police Scotland is responsible for the surviving historical records of its predecessor police forces and has agreements with a number of local authority archives to hold many of these records which are no longer required for operational purposes. The records have mostly been grouped by the eight regional police forces which operated from 1975 until 2013, as follows:
| Stirling Council Archive Services
Central Scotland Police (PD235) and predecessors · Stirling Burgh Police (PD229) · Alloa Burgh Police (PD230) · Stirlingshire Constabulary (PD231) · Clackmannanshire Constabulary (PD232) · Stirling & Clackmannan Police Force (PD233) · West Lothian Constabulary (PD234) |
| Dumfries & Galloway Council Archive
Dumfries & Galloway Police and predecessors · Annan Burgh Police (AB1) · Dumfriesshire Constabulary (BJ3; BJ4; BJ5; D1) · Dumfries Burgh Police (BK2; G4; GD629; RE3; WA4; WD3) · Stewartry of Kirkcudbright Police (BJ5; EK11; KW12) · Wigtownshire Police (BK2; WCC3; WN1; WN2; WN3) · Langholm Burgh Police (CB839) · Lochmaben Burgh Police (CB840) · Moffat Police (CB842) · Sanquhar Police (CB848) · Kirkconnel Police (CB848) · Castle Douglas Police (CDA1) · Gatehouse of Fleet Police (GFE1) · Lockerbie Burgh Police (LK1) · Lochmaben Police (LN1) · Stranraer Burgh Police (ST1; ST2) |
| Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire Archives
Grampian Police and predecessors · Aberdeenshire Constabulary (POL/A) · Aberdeen City Police (POL/AC) · Banffshire Constabulary (POL/B) · Elginshire, Morayshire and Moray and Nairn Constabularies (POL/E) · Elgin Burgh Police (POL/EB) · Grampian Police(POL/GP) · Kincardineshire Constabulary (POL/K) · Nairnshire Constabulary (POL/N) · Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary (POL/S) |
| OnFife Archives
Fife Constabulary and predecessors, 1840-1995 · Fife Constabulary, 1840-1949 · Dunfermline Burgh Police, 1874-1949 · Kirkcaldy Burgh Police, 1877-1949 |
| Edinburgh City Archives
Lothian & Borders Police and predecessors – Lothians area, 1805-2013 · Berwick, Roxburgh & Selkirk Constabulary 1862-1973 (SL260/BRS) · Edinburgh City Police 1805-1975 (SL260/ECP) · East Lothian Constabulary 1837-1971 (SL260/ELC) · Lothian and Borders Police 1974-2013 (SL260/LBP) · Lothians and Peebles Constabulary 1950-1974 (SL260/LPC) · Leith Police 1816-1935 (SL260/LTH) · Midlothian Constabulary 1878-1959 (SL260/MLC) · Material From Other Forces 1825-1975 (SL260/OTH) · Peebles County Constabulary 1841-1945 (SL260/PCC) · West Lothian Constabulary 1837-1969 (SL260/WLC) |
| Scottish Borders Archive
Lothian & Borders Police – Borders area |
| Highland Archive Centre
Northern Constabulary and predecessors (1832-2000) (R91) · Ross and Cromarty Constabulary,1854-1974 (R91/A) · Sutherland County Constabulary, 1858-1976 (R91/B) · Ross and Sutherland Constabulary, 1963-1984 (R91/C) · Inverness-shire Constabulary, 1832-1977 (R91/D) · Inverness Burgh, 1847-1972 (R91/D/A) · Inverness Division, 1887-1984 (R91/D/B) · Harris District, 1964-1975 (R91/D/E) · Nairnshire Constabulary, 1963-1976 (R91/G) · Northern Constabulary, 1975-1997 (R91/H) |
| Lochaber Archive Centre
· Lochaber Division, 1875-1979 (R91/D/C) · Argyllshire Constabulary, 1928-1996 (R91/F) |
| Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre
· Skye Division, 1877-1994 (R91/D/D) |
| Nucleus: The Nuclear and Caithness Archives
· Caithness Constabulary, 1858-1975 (C/NC1) · Wick Burgh, 1911-1975 (C/NC2) · Thurso Burgh, 1841-1955 (C/NC3) |
| Glasgow City Archives
Strathclyde Police and predecessors · Strathclyde Police & Predecessors (SR22) |
| Dundee City Archives
Tayside Police – Dundee City and predecessors, 1842-1975 · Broughty Ferry Police · Dundee City police |
| Angus Archives
· Forfarshire County Constabulary (ACC 12/18) |
| Perth & Kinross Archives
Perth and Kinross Constabulary and predecessors, 1842-1975 (POL1) · Perthshire Constabulary: 1842-1930 · Perthshire and Kinross-shire Constabulary: 1930-1964 · Perth and Kinross Constabulary: 1964-1975 · Perth City Police: 1893-1943
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In general, a wider variety of records survive for the larger forces, especially the city constabularies, while, for some smaller constabularies, particularly those absorbed by larger forces, little survives. Police records held by archives tend to come from four sources: local authority records (county and burgh government), police HQs, police stations, and from families of former police personnel
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