Suffolk Constabulary

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Coverage
Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary area
Area	Suffolk
Size	3,801 km²
Population	678,000
Operations
Formed	1974
HQ	Ipswich
Officers	1,323
Areas	3
Stations	0
Chief Constable	Alastair McWhirter

Website	http://www.suffolk.police.uk/

Suffolk Constabulary is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England.

Suffolk Constabulary is responsible for policing an area of 939,510 acres, with a population of 678,074 and 288,473 households. The area covered is principally rural and coastal and the force has three territorial areas: Eastern, Western and Southern. The Eastern Area HQ is at Halesworth, the Western Area HQ at Bury St Edmunds and the Southern HQ at the principal conurbation of Ipswich. Each area is divided into sectors, with boundaries matching those of local district or borough councils. There are a total of 14 sectors across the county, each commanded by an inspector or chief inspector.

As of 1 July 2005, Suffolk Constabulary had 1,305 police officers and 841 police staff, supplemented by 264 special constables, 15 traffic wardens and 34 community support officers (CSOs).

The force formed by the merger of West Suffolk Constabulary and East Suffolk Constabulary, which had split in 1899 (having previously been merged in 1869). The most recent merger took place in 1967, which also saw the Ipswich borough police merged. [1]

Proposals made by the Home Secretary on March 20, 2006 would see the force merge with neighbouring forces Norfolk Constabulary and Cambridgeshire Constabulary to form a strategic police force for East Anglia. [2]

Suffolk Police Authority has 9 councillors, 3 justices of the peace, and 5 independent members.

The current Chief Constable is Alastair McWhirter.

1 Recent media attention
2 See also
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Recent media attention

Main article: 2006 Ipswich murder investigation

Suffolk Constabulary gained widespread attention in December 2006, when they began to investigate the murder of five women working as prostitutes in the Ipswich area ^[1]. The story has generated interest from the media all over the country, and indeed the world ^[2]^[3]^[4].

The inquiry is the largest mounted by Suffolk Police in their history[3].