Berkshire Constabulary is a former Home Office

Home Office

The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

 police force which was responsible for policing the county

County

A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...

  of Berkshire

Berkshire

Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...

 in Southern England

Southern England

Southern England, the South and the South of England are imprecise terms used to refer to the southern counties of England bordering the English Midlands. It has a number of different interpretations of its geographic extents. The South is considered by many to be a cultural region with a distinct...

. Berkshire Constabulary was merged with several other adjacent police forces in 1968 to form the Thames Valley Police

Thames Valley Police

Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....

.

Formed in 1856, the Constabulary was headquartered near Forbury Gardens

Forbury Gardens

Forbury Gardens is a public park in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The park is on the site of the outer court of Reading Abbey, which was in front of the Abbey Church. The site was formerly known as the Forbury, and one of the roads flanking the current gardens is still...

 in Reading

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

, until it moved in 1952 to Sulhamstead

Sulhamstead

Sulhamstead is a village, electoral district and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies off the A4 national route between Reading and Thatcham, some west of central London.-Location:thumb|left|250px|1888 Ordnance Survey Parish Boundary Map...

 House (then called the "White House"), purchased by the Berkshire Country Council five years earlier for £53,000. The house is currently the Thames Valley Police Training College and Thames Valley Police Museum.

Berkshire was amalgamated with several other smaller forces during its existence, including the Abingdon Borough Police, Maidenhead Borough Council, Newbury Borough Police, Wallingford Borough Police and Wantage Borough Police. The Windsor Borough Police remained an independent force, due to the Royal presence at Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

, until it merged with Berkshire in 1947.

In 1965, Berkshire Constabulary had an establishment of 603 and an actual strength of 480.

On April 1, 1968, Thames Valley Police was formed by amalgamating Berkshire Constabulary with Buckinghamshire Constabulary

Buckinghamshire Constabulary

Buckinghamshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Buckinghamshire, England, until 1968.Buckinghamshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Buckingham Borough Police and Chepping Wycombe Borough Police...

, the Oxford City Police, the Oxfordshire Constabulary

Oxfordshire Constabulary

Oxfordshire Constabulary was the Home Office police force for the county of Oxfordshire, England, until 1968.Oxfordshire Constabulary was established in 1857. It later absorbed Banbury Borough Police and Chipping Norton Borough Police and Henley Borough Police...

 and the Reading Borough Police

Reading Borough Police

The Reading Borough Police was a police force for the borough of Reading in the United Kingdom. The force was created in 1836, at which time it had a strength of 30 constables, two sergeants and two inspectors....

.

General

• A pre-history of Thames Valley Police, Thames Valley Police
  Thames Valley Police
  Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....