Name/Title
Hiatt 1970 model handcuffsEntry/Object ID
79Description
Pair of swinging bow style, Hiatt 1970 model handcuffs. Nickel plated. Marked "Hiatt 1970, British Made". No key with leather holder for attaching to trouser belt.Use
To restrain prisoners. Of a type used by Sussex Constabulary then Sussex Police between the 1970s and the mid 1990s.Context
The 1970 model handcuffs were made by Hiatt between 1970 and 1982. They were the company's first truly "modern" design and were very similar to the Hiatt Peerless model that they produced under licence from the American company Peerless, between the late 1930s and 1982. This model was double locked by pushing a pin, which was on one end of the key, through the hole in the lock plate. This prevented the cuffs from getting tightening once applied.
Hiatt were a Birmingham based company that made restraints from at least 1780, and whilst best known for handcuffs, they manufactured other police equipment throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The company ceased UK production in 2008 following increased scrutiny over some of its products and their use abroad.
In Sussex Police only from the late 1970s/1980 were handcuffs personally issued to all officers and the commonest in use was the older Hiatt 1960 model. However over time more modern models such as these were also issued. It is also known that because handcuffs were not initially issued to all officers when Sussex Constabulary was established in 1968, some officers privately purchased their own, including the 1970 model. These particular handcuffs appear to have been very well used, much of the plating having worn off. They are stamped with the what appears to be a Sussex Constabulary/Police warrant number "AS34", which would have been done locally. This and the fact they came from a Sussex based collection of items indicates that they were indeed used in the Sussex force. Handcuffs like this were used in Sussex until the mid 1990s when all handcuffs were recalled and replaced with the Chubb "Detainer" model.