Victorian Brecon - More about policing the area

Brecon and district
Crime and punishment

More about..	Policing the area
	For many working men in the county a job with the new police force would mean a regular income and a chance for a career with promotion and a pension at the end. The constables and sergeants all had to be able to read and write and be of good character. The ordinary constable starting at the bottom of the profession was paid around 15/- [75p] per week. He was supplied with a uniform, however. This extract from the Quarter Sessions records lists the clothing which had to be provided for the constables.

	Tramping the roads of Breconshire in all weathers, the men would need stout boots and a thick greatcoat. They worked between 10 and 12 hours a day, and 7 days a week! There were strict rules about behaviour and they were not allowed to go for a drink in a pub when off duty. It could be a hard life for a policeman!
	In 1874 it was thought that the police in Brecon needed a new police station and so a brick building was constructed in Captain's Walk, next to the Shire Hall. It was to be the police station for the town for nearly a hundred years. In the town the constables could call for help from their fellow officers by blowing a police whistle if they got into trouble. In the countryside however, the policemen had to deal with difficult situations on their own.

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