A
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE IN BRENTFORD AND
CHISWICK
By PC John Collis
On 10th May 1830 the 16th Company of the newly formed Metropolitan Police came into existence when men of Kensington or 'T' Division marched into the parishes of Chiswick and Brentford.
Station houses were established at Front Street, Old Brentford and Market Place.
Chiswick did not possess a station at the time and was policed from Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush. There were stables at Turnham Green (at the rear of 210 High Road, Chiswick, - the old Police Station).
The area covered corresponded to the number 8 district of the two-penny post known as the Brentford Ride.
Brentford was the western boundary of the Metropolitan Police District for the next decade. A report in the times of 19th July 1831 stated that a constable of the 'T' Division stopped two boys in possession of an ass which they confessed they had stolen in the neighbourhood of Oxford and had travelled all that distance without being stopped despite the presence of Bow Street Horse Patrols which had been set up in 1805 and were based in Hounslow.
Although rural in nature Chiswick and Brentford still suffered with traffic congestion. No fewer than 50 stagecoaches passed though the towns daily en route to the southwest.
On 13th January 1840 'T' or Kensington division was extended west of Brentford up to the Buckinghamshire county boundary. All arrests made in the parishes of Isleworth, Hounslow, Heston, Hanwell, Greenford, Perivale, Norwood and Alperton were taken to Brentford Police Station
With
the increased workload came the need for a new Police Station
in Brentford and, on Michealmas Day 1940, a substantial brick
built house at 60 High Street was opened. It had six cells
and was built at a cost of £5,674. 44p( the building
is still in existence at the junction of High Street and Town
mead.) The population of Brentford at the time was 11,091
and Chiswick 8,506.
The
construction of the London and South Western Railway brought
further development to the area when a line was opened from
Waterloo with stations at Chiswick, Kew Bridge, and Brentford.
In January 1869 the company opened stations at Bedford Park
(now Turnham Green) and Brentford Road (now Gunnersbury).
The District line opened in July 1879 with a new station at
Acton Green (now Chiswick Park).
A police station for Chiswick had been in opened in 1850 and in January 1870 a temporary station was opened at Chiswick Common Field Road, Turnham Green (now Devonshire Road) A purpose built station was opened in December 1872 at 210 High Road. It closed in April 1972 and is now used by Manpower services.
At that time Chiswick had a staff of 3 Inspectors, 5 Sergeants and 61 Constables.
In 1917 (the year in which postcodes were introduced) Chiswick became the junior station to Brentford Police's Station.
The present Brentford Police Station in Half Acre was opened in July 1967.
The present Chiswick Police Station, which occupies the site of the former Fire Station and Linden House, was opened in April 1972.
'T' Division or District ceased to exist in April 1986 and Brentford and Chiswick Police Station became as part of 5 area of the Metropolitan Police. In 1999 they merged with Hounslow and Feltham stations to become the new Hounslow Borough Police.