Avon & Somerset Constabulary: British Police Equipment Part 3

Police Truncheons

Collecting truncheons is a huge area in it's own right and there's plenty of information about this topic elsewhere. I shall provide just a brief illustrated overview.

A selection of British Police truncheons

Nos. 1-2 are the standard 15.5 inch rosewood truncheon. No. 3 is a commemorative truncheon, possibly for the Queens Silver Jubilee in 1977. No. 4 is a slightly shorter variation. No. 5 is a shorter 13.5 inch version issued to Inspectors and plain clothes CID officers. No. 6 is the shortest version which was issued to female officers (WPCs) and carried in their handbags.

These wooden truncheons were superceded by the ASP or the side handle baton in the early 1990's. Unfortunately it's forbidden to buy and sell these on eBay because they are classified as a weapon. However, these can be purchased from dealers elsewhere for between £30-35.

This next photograph is actually a miniature truncheon with a crown and wreath design. I can only speculate that these were produced to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Perhaps they were issued to some, if not all serving officers. These appear on eBay from time to time and sell for between £9-£15. It measures just 6 inches/15 cm high.

Miniature truncheon

The official design used to commemorate the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977

Here's another miniature truncheon. This one is just 7 cm long, made from hardwood and has a leather thong. Age and origin are unknown. Perhaps a toy Policeman accessory?

Miniature truncheon

A selection of close-ups

City of London truncheon

City of London truncheon with "CP" ('City Police) stamped on the side

This mark was probably done intentionally to remove the Police officer's number

Police Officers typically had their number stamped on the truncheon

Drawing a truncheon was usually considered to be a last resort and some officers rarely, or never did during their whole career.

The traditional wooden truncheons were replaced in the 1990's with the ASP and American style side handle baton. In 1995 Special Constables in Bedfordshire were some of the first to be issued with the side handled baton. These officers had to receive at least six hours of training beforehand.

Here's a news report about the use of Police batons:
The Independent 1998: Police criticised over use of batons

More information

Here are some links with additional information about Police truncheons. The book shown below by Mervyn Mitton offers a detailed history accompanied by excellent photographs.

Wikipedia: Baton (law enforcement)

A short Youtube video on truncheons and body armour

The Policeman's Lot by Mervyn Mitton (1985)

The author of this book Mervyn Mitton passed away in 2015. Mervyn was a very enthusiastic and active collector.

Replica Police Truncheon

It seems that even the standard wooden Police truncheon is becoming increasingly hard to obtain. I was surprised to find it's possible to purchase a replica. The arrival of replicas suggests there's a demand and the originals are hard to find or very expensive. Apparently this replica is made by Smiths Tools of Manchester. From the photographs it looks to be a very accurate replica and perhaps hard to tell apart from a real one. It's also being sold for a very reasonable price of £15.99 (August 2024). I would be interested to hear feedback from anyone who's purchased one of these. It looks like somebody in this company has both the interest and skill to produce a good product. I think it's an option for some, if you can't find one at a sensible price.

Perhaps over the years, many of the original truncheons find their way overseas which slowly deminsishes stock remaining in the UK.

A webpage had been set up regarding these replicas here:

Buy a Truncheon - The Classic Wooden UK Police Truncheon (truncheons.co.uk)

The website does point out the auction prices are often high, but that may not always be the case. Take for example the Cleveldon Salerooms auction in July/August 2024. I've added a post on this and there were two sale lots of truncheons sold. One was for 10 truncheons both victorian and modern which sold for just £55. The second sale lot was for 8 truncheons which sold for £70. This would offer a good profit opportunity for a dealer if they then sold them individually.

Or you can go straight to the purchase website here:

Replica 1960s Wooden Police Truncheon (manchestervacs.co.uk)