Name/Title
Brighton Borough Police special constable's warrant card 1961 - 1968Entry/Object ID
2499Description
Small (7.8 cm x 12.2 cm) printed off white warrant card, laminated in transparent plastic and protected by a slightly larger transparent plastic cover. Printed with the Brighton coat of arms and "County Borough of Brighton Special Constabulary Warrant Card" and typewritten "Turner William Frederick, 29th June 1961", along with date of birth and height. It is signed by William Turner and the Chief Constable.Use
For a special constable in Brighton Police to identify themselves withContext
By the 1870s and 1880s UK police officers began to be issued with warrant cards to both identify themselves and demonstrate their "warrant", or proof of their authority for carrying out their duties. These began to replace painted truncheons and tipstaves as proof of that authority.
Because of their potential use to identify the holder as a police officer, they are usually returned at the end of an officer's service, so old ones are somewhat rare. This particular example was issued to William Turner who served as a special constable in Brighton Borough Police from 1961 until 1968 and then in Sussex Constabulary until the 1970s, by which time he had been promoted to a special inspector. Though dated 29th June 1961, his start date, this may be a replacement card, as it appears to have been countersigned by Chief Constable William Cavey, who only took up that post in 1963.
There is nothing to suggest that the warrant cards issued to regular Brighton Borough Police officers were significantly different to this one, and were probably identical other than omitting the words "Special Constabulary" and replacing them with "Police". It was not until the 1990s that Sussex Police introduced warrant cards with photographs.