Police Motor Units
DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY CONSTABULARY, SCOTLAND

DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY CONSTABULARY
MOTORCYCLE UNIT
A BRIEF HISTORY

 

The motorcycle unit in Dumfries and Galloway Region was incorporated into the regional Police Force in 1981 as a direct response to a recommendation from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. The report from HMI’s Office questioned the fact that the Region was almost alone in not providing the benefit of motorcycle patrols to their community. 
At its inception the unit had four BMW R80RT Police specification motorcycles which were initially based at the Force’s headquarters Traffic Department at Loreburn Street, Dumfries. (see black and white photos). 
Four Officers were recruited from serving staff within the Constabulary with the posts being deemed voluntary due to their specialized nature. In other words, Officers would not be transferred into the Motorcycle Unit without their agreement.
 The motorcycle patrol staff were stationed both in Dumfries and Lockerbie, from where they provided patrols across the whole Region. The section provided this service until 21 December 1988. 
The bombing of flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie saw major changes within Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and the motorcycle unit did not survive in its original state. Necessary staff re-organisation resulted in the Motorcycle section being reduced to two Officers with their personal issue motorcycles. 
As of January 2011 the motorcycle unit of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has ceased to be an operational resource. The impending retiral of the Officers currently allocated Motorcycle Patrol and the associated costs of training replacement staff, equipment and new motorcycles has all coincided with extensive cuts in Force funding. The decision has been made that keeping an operational Motorcycle Unit is not financially viable. And so it ends.

 

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, Scotland
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Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, Scotland
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Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, Scotland
webassets/DumfriesgallowayconstableSplash.jpg

Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, Scotland
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Information and Photos provided by the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, Scotland

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