Avon and Somerset Constabulary is one of the largest forces in England and provides a service to 1.5 million people. The communities of the constabulary are diverse and range from small hamlets in rural Somerset to the cosmopolitan urban areas of Bristol.

In 2004 Avon and Somerset Constabulary celebrated 30 years of policing in the South West. Prior to that the area was policed by the Bristol and Somerset, Bath and Gloucestershire Constabularies.

The force has enjoyed and experienced a varied past including cutlass training, practising for gas attack drill prior to the outbreak of war in 1939 and being the only force in Britain to provide a mounted escort to the Queen - during her Royal Jubilee visit to Bristol in 1977.

You will find a rich historical background of the constabulary in the reception area of police headquarters. There are a number of museum pieces and artefacts located in cabinets for you to view.

For further information online about the history of the force, visit our dedicated history page.