Name/Title
Black rubber truncheon probably continental police c1980Entry/Object ID
935Description
Black rubber cylindrical truncheon, 15 inches (38cm) long, with metal ring and leather wrist strap secured through hole in handle. Only markings "198" moulded into body.Use
For general use either as an offensive weapon or for self defenceContext
Rubber truncheons have rarely been issued by the UK police, who tended to use wooden examples of a generic design until the 1990s, though they have been widely used elsewhere in the world.
West Sussex Constabulary did however use a type of rubber truncheon between 1924 and 1934 (see item 84) but these were of a different, more slender design than this one and suitably marked.
Police officers on occasion are known to have privately armed themselves with such weapons, although not within recent times. Sir Robert Mark, the ex Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, recorded that in the late 1930's he carried an unofficial rubber truncheon when on plain clothes duty in Manchester and was not adverse to using it.
This particular truncheon appears to be of official issue as it has a metal ring which is designed to be hooked onto or otherwise attached to a belt, suggesting it is for uniformed service, almost certainly from abroad. It does not look to have a great deal of age and probably dates to no earlier than 1980. It came from an ex Sussex Police senior officer who was an avid collector and may represent something that he acquired on a foreign trip.