Police museum opens to the public in Devon

The Museum of Policing in Devon and Cornwall (MOPIDAC) has opened to the public in a Devon town.

MOPIDAC, a registered charity, said the facility would showcase the history of the Devon and Cornwall force.

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony on Tuesday in Tavistock.

The charity said the small museum, located in the town's Court Gate, was the result of years of work.

It said the museum was a place where artefacts, documents and photographs charting local policing history and heritage could be displayed to the public.

MOPIDAC CEO Greg White said he was "so proud of the team effort that went into getting the museum ready".

He said: "It is probably the biggest single collection of policing history in the UK.

"It is a really significant regional asset and there was no way we could put it all on display."

Mr White explained some of the items included batons, truncheons, tip staffs, weaponry and a 1990s police car.

"We are going to be drawing small samples .... and then making them available in Tavistock to the public with particular themes attached to them," he said.

He added: "We are really looking forward to being able to exhibit some of our unique collection and archive, which until now has been only available to the public by prior appointment."

Museum trustee, volunteer and retired police inspector Pam Giles, who joined the constabulary in 1975 and retired in 2003, said the launch of the museum was "very emotional".

She said: "This is the first time the public will have unrestricted physical access to a section of the museum.

"It's something we've wanted to have for as long as I can remember, when there were just three volunteers involved."

The current force began operating in June 1967 after a series of major mergers that began in 1943.

Those brought together 22 borough police forces which were formed across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in the 1830s.

Follow BBC Devon on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].