THE sun shone on the Police Museum in Warrington on Saturday as people of all ages flocked to the open day in the historic building.
Housed in the working Arpley Street police station in the town centre, the museum is a treasure trove of artefacts of policing through the years.
A police dog unit drew long queues of excited families as the dog handler talked about his varied work involving detecting drugs and chasing criminals.
Visitors could step through a blue Tardis – the police box synonymous with Dr Who – and enter the museum’s exhibition rooms.
Volunteer manager Pete Hampson was delighted with the success of the event and those in the community who’d turned up to support the museum.
He told Warrington Worldwide: “It has been a brilliant day and when we opened at 10am, there were already 50 people queuing outside. I don’t know what the numbers are in total, but whatever it is I will be delighted.
“This place is so important for public engagement.
“The fact it’s in a working police station and it shows people who policing has developed over the years.
“Not only do the community support the museum, which raises awareness of policing in Cheshire Constabulary, but so too do the chief constable, his deputy and two of our MPs and two Mayors. Senior officers, including Chief Supt Alison Ross, have also attended the event and they are very supportive.”
He said the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, had also rearranged a work trip so he could attend.
And the museum patron Dave Thompson MBE, who is chief executive of Warrington Disability Partnership, had attended the open day.
The firearms unit and drone unit had been there but as they are operational officers they’d been called out when Warrington Worldwide visited.
Children were able to dress up as mini police officers and were greeted by volunteers from the museum in traditional dress of a bygone age.
There are also demonstrations of modern policing – using drones to give officers an eye in the sky when searching for people or suspects.
Among the unique exhibits are knives and an array of weapons seized over the years.
A police motorcycle and panda car also delights visitors as they can sound its sirens wail loudly in a garage exhibition space.
There are mannequins depicting life in the Victorian age when policing was in its infancy. And the changing uniforms through the ages are showcased on the mannequins.
An original tiny police cell with a small gap to pass food to the inmates is also part of the museum. Here, a remand prisoner notoriously escaped leaving officers baffled. They eventually recaptured him and asked him to recreate his audacious escape.
At a series of summer open days last month in the school holidays, a total of 1,000 visitors streamed through the doors of the museum.
The museum is run entirely by volunteers, some of whom are retired officers. It’s open for visits by appointment twice a week.
Rory Hughes, aged seven, from Warrington, was visiting with his little brother Elliot, four, and parents Hannah and Ben Hughes.
“I think it’s good,” he said. His mum said Rory had visited previously with his Beavers pack and had “come home with handcuffs.”
Anyone who wants to volunteer with the museum is urged to get in touch.
For further details, contact https://cheshirepolicemuseum.org.uk/arrange-a-visit/
An open day filmed in 2018
