Grampian Police
Encyclopedia
Grampian Police is the territorial police force
of the northeast region of Scotland
, covering the council area
s of Aberdeenshire
, the City of Aberdeen, and Moray
(the former Grampian
region). The Force area also covers some of the North Sea, giving Grampian Police the responsibility of policing the oil and gas platforms of the North East. The force is headquartered on Queen Street in Aberdeen
.
The Police Authority
has six representatives from Aberdeen City, six from Aberdeenshire, and four from Moray.
Grampian Police was formed on May 16, 1975, when Grampian Region was created, a merger of the previously-formed Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
and the Aberdeen City Police. The North Eastern force had been formed on May 16, 1949, by the merger of Aberdeenshire Constabulary, Banffshire Constabulary, Kincardineshire Constabulary, and Moray and Nairn Constabulary.
The force produces a magazine called The Informer for its staff, which comes out every season, and, in 2009, launched a YouTube
channel.
, Aberdeenshire
and Moray
. In addition to this, Grampian have a lead role in incidents on offshore installations in Scottish areas of the North Sea, irrespective of which police area
the installation is situated. This arrangement exists due to Grampian's extensive experience in dealing with the offshore industry.
The railway stations and lines in the area are the responsibility of the British Transport Police
, and a number of Ministry of Defence installations in the region are policed by the Ministry of Defence Police
. However, as with all territorial police forces, the chief officer of Grampian Police is ultimately responsible in statute for all law and order in Grampian police area, irrespective of the whether a special police force is present.
in 2007 and performed for Queen Elizabeth
at Balmoral Castle
to celebrate its unveiling.
In 2008 Grampian Police took part in the first GRIP campaign, designed to increase awareness in the bars and pubs of Aberdeen with an eye towards to protecting patrons from racist assaults. In 2010 it launched a campaign in conjunction with GRIP called 'RACISM – Report it Now!' The campaign involved putting up posters and stickers in shops, bars, restaurants, and post offices throughout the region urging people to report racist incidents.
GRIP had mixed results in its first two years. While the number of racist assaults against Pakistanis has been declining, there was a dramatic spike in 2009 in the number of assaults against people classified as "Other White" and "White British
". Lewis Macdonald
, the Labour
member for Aberdeen Central, said the spike shows that "police are getting much better at recording a racial incident." Robert Brown
, the Liberal Democrat
member for Glasgow, said the spike was "truly shocking."
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
of the northeast region of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, covering the council area
Council Area
A Council Area is one of the areas defined in Schedule 1 of the Local Government etc. Act 1994 and is under the control of one of the local authorities in Scotland created by that Act.-Legislation :1889...
s of Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, the City of Aberdeen, and Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
(the former Grampian
Grampian
Grampian was a local government region of Scotland from 1975 to 1996. It is now divided into the unitary council areas of:*Moray*Aberdeenshire*City of AberdeenThe region had five districts:*Aberdeen*Banff and Buchan...
region). The Force area also covers some of the North Sea, giving Grampian Police the responsibility of policing the oil and gas platforms of the North East. The force is headquartered on Queen Street in Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
.
The Police Authority
Police authority
A police authority in the United Kingdom, is a body charged with securing efficient and effective policing of a police area served by a territorial police force or the area and/or activity policed by a special police force...
has six representatives from Aberdeen City, six from Aberdeenshire, and four from Moray.
Grampian Police was formed on May 16, 1975, when Grampian Region was created, a merger of the previously-formed Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary
The Scottish North Eastern Counties Constabulary, was one of the two Police Forces which in 1975, were merged to create Grampian Police.-History:...
and the Aberdeen City Police. The North Eastern force had been formed on May 16, 1949, by the merger of Aberdeenshire Constabulary, Banffshire Constabulary, Kincardineshire Constabulary, and Moray and Nairn Constabulary.
The force produces a magazine called The Informer for its staff, which comes out every season, and, in 2009, launched a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel.
Areas covered
Grampian Police cover the local authority areas of AberdeenAberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
and Moray
Moray
Moray is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland.- History :...
. In addition to this, Grampian have a lead role in incidents on offshore installations in Scottish areas of the North Sea, irrespective of which police area
Police area
A police area is the area for which a territorial police force in the United Kingdom is responsible for policing.Every location in the United Kingdom has a designated territorial police force with statutory responsibility for providing policing services and enforcing criminal law, which is set out...
the installation is situated. This arrangement exists due to Grampian's extensive experience in dealing with the offshore industry.
The railway stations and lines in the area are the responsibility of the British Transport Police
British Transport Police
The British Transport Police is a special police force that polices those railways and light-rail systems in Great Britain for which it has entered into an agreement to provide such services...
, and a number of Ministry of Defence installations in the region are policed by the Ministry of Defence Police
Ministry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence Police is a civilian police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The force is part of the larger government agency, the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency , together with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service...
. However, as with all territorial police forces, the chief officer of Grampian Police is ultimately responsible in statute for all law and order in Grampian police area, irrespective of the whether a special police force is present.
Departments and units
Grampian Police have a number of specialist Departments and Units, with officers joining them and undertaking this as their primary role. Amongst others, these include:- Grampian Police Mountain Rescue Team
- Dog SectionPolice dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
- Underwater Search Unit (Grampian's Underwater Search Unit is the regional USU for Grampian, Northern ConstabularyNorthern ConstabularyThe Northern Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for Northern Scotland, covering the Highland council area along with the Western Isles, the Orkney Isles and the Shetland Isles, which comprise most of the Highlands and Islands area...
, and Tayside PoliceTayside PoliceTayside Police is the territorial police force covering the Scottish council areas of Angus, City of Dundee and Perth and Kinross . The total area covered by the force is with a population of 388,000....
. However, it is staffed entirely by Grampian.) - Armed Response Vehicles
- Oil and Energy Liaison Unit
- Criminal Investigation DepartmentCriminal Investigation DepartmentThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
- Wildlife Crime Unit
- Roads Policing Department (formerly the Traffic Department)
- Special Branch
- Financial Investigation Unit
- Family Protection Unit
- Education Liaison
- Professional Standards and Conduct Department
- Human Resources (Recruitment & Training)
- General Enquiries Department
- Major Investigation Teams
Pipe band
The Grampian Police Pipe Band, established in 1907, often plays at events and competitions throughout Scotland. The group rehearses on a weekly basis in Aberdeen and comprises both police staff and civilians. The band launched its own design of tartanTartan
Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland. Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns...
in 2007 and performed for Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
at Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and east of Braemar. Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Queen Victoria and her...
to celebrate its unveiling.
Grampian Racist Incident Partnership
Grampian Racist Incident Partnership (GRIP) is a coalition of race equality groups led by Grampian Police officers. It was formed in May 2008 in response to a series of highly-publicised racist assaults against Pakistani migrants and English travellers in Aberdeen.In 2008 Grampian Police took part in the first GRIP campaign, designed to increase awareness in the bars and pubs of Aberdeen with an eye towards to protecting patrons from racist assaults. In 2010 it launched a campaign in conjunction with GRIP called 'RACISM – Report it Now!' The campaign involved putting up posters and stickers in shops, bars, restaurants, and post offices throughout the region urging people to report racist incidents.
GRIP had mixed results in its first two years. While the number of racist assaults against Pakistanis has been declining, there was a dramatic spike in 2009 in the number of assaults against people classified as "Other White" and "White British
White British
White British was an ethnicity classification used in the 2001 United Kingdom Census. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: White Scottish and Other White...
". Lewis Macdonald
Lewis Macdonald
Lewis Macdonald is a Scottish Labour regional list Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland, from 2011. He was MSP for the Aberdeen Central constituency from 1999 until 2011.-Background:...
, the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member for Aberdeen Central, said the spike shows that "police are getting much better at recording a racial incident." Robert Brown
Robert Brown (Scottish politician)
Robert E. Brown is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician and former MSP for Glasgow Region.-Career:A graduate of University of Aberdeen, he was Depute Procurator Fiscal of Dumbarton 1972-1974 and has since been a partner & consultant with a Glasgow firm of solicitors...
, the Liberal Democrat
Scottish Liberal Democrats
The Scottish Liberal Democrats are one of the three state parties within the federal Liberal Democrats; the others being the Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Liberal Democrats in England...
member for Glasgow, said the spike was "truly shocking."
Significant events and incidents
Grampian Police have been involved in many high-profile cases throughout Scotland, either as the investigating force, reviewing investigations on behalf of other forces, or providing specialist support.- Arlene Fraser murder case (investigating force)
- George Murdoch murder (investigating force)
- Michael Holding murder (investigating force)
- Scott Simpson murder (investigating force)
- Renee MacRaeRenee MacRaeRenee MacRae is a Scottish woman who is missing, presumed to have been murdered. Her disappearance along with her son is currently Britain's longest running missing persons case, and in Scotland the case is as notorious as Glasgow's Bible John murders...
mystery (reviewing force) - Jolanta Bledaite murder (specialist support – underwater search)
- April 2009 North Sea helicopter crashApril 2009 North Sea helicopter crashThe April 2009 North Sea helicopter crash, which involved a Eurocopter AS332L2 Super Puma Mk 2 belonging to Bond Offshore Helicopters, engaged on flight 85N, that crashed northeast of Peterhead, Scotland just before 2:00 pm on 1 April 2009 in the North Sea while returning from a BP oil...
(investigating police force, in partnership with Air Accident Investigation Branch and other agencies)
Chief Constables
- Alexander Morrison (1975–1983)
- Alistair G. Lynn (1983–1990)
- Ian OliverIan OliverIan Oliver, QPM, is a former police officer, author, speaker and international consultant for the United Nations. He served as Chief Constable of Scotland's Central and Grampian Police. Since leaving the police force, he has worked as a consultant and speaker on the issues of drugs, terrorism and...
(1990–1998) - Andrew G. Brown (1998–2004)
- Colin McKerracher (2004–Present)