TO mark the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, officers and staff from Cheshire Constabulary took a moment to come together to recreate a photograph taken more than 70 years ago.
The original photograph, taken in 1953 to mark the Coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II, featured officers from Warrington Borough Police and was taken outside the old police station on Arpley Street which is now home to the Museum of Policing in Cheshire.
At the time the original photograph was taken, there were 142 officers in the force – 137 men and only 5 women. Seventy years later, around 100 officers and staff posed in the same spot to commemorate the coronation of the King and Queen on Saturday 6 May 2023.
Speaking about the photograph, Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: “It is important for us to capture this moment in time and mark the Coronation of the King and Queen.
“We are the county’s Constabulary and I think that’s what makes us different to other forces in some regards – as we are the local force for local people and this image underlines this.
“Policing has changed in many ways since 1953 and this photo shows all the different units that we now have. However despite some of things in policing changing, in many ways it is still the same. The public still rely on officers going out and dealing with people – you can’t make an arrest virtually.
“It’s all about looking after people, engaging with them, and targeting criminals. These core elements have all stayed the same – we just had a bit of added complexity that is reflected in this picture.”
Volunteers from the Museum of Policing arranged the photograph after researching the original image that sits proudly on the walls in the museum. A number of staff came in on their day off and in their own time to support the occasion.
Warrington Borough Police merged with Lancashire Constabulary in 1969 before Warrington became part of Cheshire under boundary changes in April 1974.
Retired Cheshire Constabulary police officer and volunteer Manager of the Museum of Policing, Peter Hampson said: “I am pretty sure that there are not many police forces in the country that could do what we have been able to do – taking a photograph outside the same police station 70 years later.
“The differences between the new image and the old is that the original was Warrington Borough Police and now we’re a county force – we’re showing how we’ve developed over the years.
“We have all sorts of diverse departments now with Crime Scene Investigators (CSIs), dog handlers and traffic officers which we didn’t have back in 1953.
“I think recreating this photograph is good for posterity and we’ll record it in the museum so in 20 to 40 years’ time when we get people asking about their grandparents serving in Cheshire Police and we can look back in the archives and produce this photograph.
“It is history in the making.”
The Museum of Policing in Cheshire is located on Arpley Street, Warrington and visits must be made by appointment only, to do this call 01606 365803 for more information please visit www.museumofpolicingincheshire.org.uk
The original photograph from 1953.
