AFTER living in the Redhill and Merstham area for 77 years, Jill Bracken is moving to Sussex to live near one of her daughters.
While sorting out her personal belongings, she came across some old photographs of Reigate and Redhill's own police force, of which her late father was a prominent member.
George Capelin (1905-1974) lived in Grovehill Road, Redhill, for many years. He joined Reigate Borough's own force in about 1929.
In 1932, he married Jill's mother, Joyce (Joy) and the couple had two girls. Sadly, one passed away at the age of nine.
George Capelin's father, Stephen, was a sergeant in the Crawley constabulary and, said Jill, "used to be good at catching criminals and used to trap robbers by closing the railway gates".
In the early 1930s, the chief constable of the Reigate police force was a Mr Beacher. He was very keen on getting his officers to take part in various sporting activities, such as tug of war matches.
"Mr Beacher would go around Reigate and Redhill on a white horse," said Jill. "My father would also sometimes go around his beat on a horse."
During the Second World War, the Reigate police station was based in the premises which is now Reigate Town Hall, Castlefield Road.
After this period, the station moved to Churchfelle, Chart Lane, Reigate. That is the house still standing by the tight bend opposite St Mary's Church.
The Redhill police officers had a station which stood near the swimming pool in London Road, Redhill, next to the fire station. All three of these buildings have since disappeared and, for the last few decades, the main police station for Reigate and Redhill and other parts of East Surrey has operated from modern premises at Reigate Road. Extensive refurbishment of these offices has taken place in recent years.
Jill smiled and reminisced that when she was a girl living in Grovehill Road, the point duty police officer used to stand at the crossroads in Redhill town centre and if he needed to summon help, he had to use a special police telephone which was fixed to the wall of Lloyds Bank.
In the 1932 police tug of war team picture, one of the officers shown is Fred Stoneman.
"During the war, my father stayed here, serving here as an air raid patrol warden. I remember Fred Stoneman went off to fight. I used to think what a nice man Fred was.
"My father's ARP post was in Garlands Road, next to a builder's yard called Macreall's."
Local historian Alan Moore, who has written two books on the history of Redhill, notes that the first "police" in Reigate manorial days were borough and parish constables and it was not until 1851 when a police presence other than these was established by Surrey in London Road, Redhill.
It later moved to Reigate and at one time there was a sergeant and six constables for whom the parish paid into the county rate.
"Incorporation in 1863 was followed by the creation of the Borough of Reigate's own force in 1864. There was to be a superintendent at £90 per annum plus quarters, a sergeant at 21s- per week and eight constables at 18s per week," writes Mr Moore.
"The first head constable was George Gifford but he lasted only nine days and was succeeded by George Rogers, who held the post for many years.
"The station house was at 3, Carlton Terrace, Redhill, alongside the Market Hall, but as there were no lock-up facilities, prisoners had to be catered for elsewhere until a house in West Street, Reigate, was rented at £25 per annum and the cellar was converted to two cells.
"In August of 1864 consideration was given to the siting of a central police station near Shaw's Corner, Redhill, and land for the purpose was purchased from Mr Waterlow, of High Trees, Reigate. The project never got under way and the land deal was eventually reversed.
"A new police station was built alongside the Market Hall in 1866 and became the headquarters for the two towns. Reigate's station remained, although it was moved from West Street to premises between the Public Hall and the Congregational Church.
"The title of "superintendent of police" was changed to "head constable" in 1870.
"In these early years, hours and conditions were onerous, as were the rules – 'no PC to leave the borough without permission, nor to be in the borough out of uniform whether on or off duty' – and the behaviour of the locals left something to be desired, for in May of 1882, the watch committee resolved, 'that the head constable take steps to render the High Street more orderly on a Saturday evening. Perhaps Saturday nights in "Red Hill" had always been rowdy, for the watch committee minutes of November 1864 authorised the superintendent to 'buy a new hat to replace one destroyed by the crowd'.
"The expression 'you just can't get the staff', has the meaning that those you do get are less that satisfactory. This could well have applied to the Borough of Reigate's early police force for in 1864, the first year of its existence, PC Stovell was fined for misconduct, PC Dashwood, and later PC Stovell, were discharged (reason not given), PC Foss was reprimanded and later fined five shillings, PC Ison was told to be more respectful and later fined one day's pay, PC Harling was convicted of stealing, and PC Serjeant was reprimanded for 'exposing an immoral article'.
"Drink was the downfall of several PCs, as in 1865 PCs Baugh and Beddington were dismissed for being drunk, and in 1871 PC Lewis was dismissed for drinking with poachers.
"In 1874, PC Whiteland was dismissed for 'being found in a house of ill fame'.
"And misdemeanours were not confined to the lower ranks. Head Constable George Rogers was followed in 1888 by William Pearson, who resigned in 1891 and was replaced by William Morant.
"In 1894, Philip Woodman was appointed but was fairly soon arrested for embezzling police funds at his previous employment in the Bradford police force.
"It must not be assumed that less than satisfactory behaviour was the norm, however, for during the years of the Reigate Borough force there were many examples of brave and heroic actions and exemplary behaviour by its officers and men.
"The appointment of head constable James Metcalfe ended this period of change at the top by his remaining in the post for 36 years."