Police division
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A division was the usual term for the largest territorial subdivision of most British police forces. In major reforms of police organisation in the 1990s divisions of many forces were restructured and retitled Basic Command Units (BCUs), although as of 2009[update] some forces continue to refer to them as divisions.
The term was and is[update] used in many other countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth.
United Kingdom
The term has existed since the creation of police forces in the early 19th century. Most police forces were divided into divisions, usually commanded by a
Each division could cover a wide rural area, a substantial town, or a portion of a city, depending on the population (
Metropolitan Police divisions, 1829–1999
1829
Later additions by formation date
Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Police Force divides its territory into 23 divisions or districts, each reporting to one of the six regions.
India
In
Republic of Ireland
In the
Singapore
The Singapore Police Force divides the city-state into seven divisions of varying physical sizes and population. These boundaries tend to be demarcated in terms of cases handled by observing criminal trends over time, instead of being based on area or population sizes alone.
Canada
A few police departments in Canada use divisions to represent stations or patrol areas, but some are a mix of operational and administrative units with the force.
A few police agencies using divisions include:
- Peel Regional Police - 5 (4 geographic and 1 operational)
- Ottawa Police Service - 3 (geographic)
- Edmonton Police Service - 5 (geographic)
- Halifax Regional Police - 4 (3 geographic and 1 operational)
- Hamilton Police Service - 3 (geographic)
- Toronto Police Service - 17 (geographic)
- Vancouver Police Department - 3 (operational)
- Victoria Police Department - 6 (operational and administrative)
- Waterloo Regional Police Service - 5 (geographic)
- Winnipeg Police Service - 5 (geographic)
Notes
References
- ^ 'Division' and 'Sub-Division', in Martin Fido and Keith Skinner, The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard (London; Virgin Books, 1999), pages 70-71 and 255
- ^ 'Borough Policing', in Martin Fido and Keith Skinner, The Official Encyclopedia of Scotland Yard (London; Virgin Books, 1999), pages 25
- ^ "Timeline - 1829 to 1899". Friends of the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2 November 2020.