Group photograph of Govan Police Force, probably late 19th century.
Before 1864 law and order in Govan was upheld by a policeman appointed by the county of Lanarkshire. However, the village grew dramatically with the coming of the shipyards and heavy engineering works and there was a dramatic rise in crime and environmental problems caused by pollution and insanitary conditions. In 1864 Govan became a Police Burgh and officials were appointed to take responsibility for policing, building control, a fire service, building and repairing streets, laying sewers, removing and disposing of rubbish, dealing with public health matters, and installing and maintaining street lighting, funded by rates levied on local householders and businesses.
In 1867 a Town Hall was built in Albert Street (later called Orkney Street) to house all these new services. A new Town Hall was completed in 1899 and opened in 1901 and the older building became Govan's central police station. The burgh's police force had expanded considerably by this time, rising from seven to 107 officers and men between 1864 and 1901.
Reference: 660.82.99
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Museums
Keywords:
Govan Police Force, Govan Police Station, Govan Town Hall, police officers, policemen
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