About us

Introduction

The Kent Police Museum is based on a collection of donated artefacts preserved for future generations. These artefacts span the existence of Kent Police from 1857 until today.

The collection includes uniform, policing equipment from past and present, crime related items, documents, books and a large amount of photographs.

We are currently recruiting for a new curator to develop a new attraction for visitors at our new home in Faversham. Once the curator is appointed, they will be seeking further funding and looking to open the Museum to the public in Spring of 2018.

In the meantime we will be adding more information about our collection to this website, telling the story of Kent Police since it formed in 1857.

Our history

The Kent Police Museum came together as a collection of objects – both from within the force and donated by retired officers and staff – in 1973. It was housed in several offices at our Headquarters on Sutton Road, Maidstone.

In 1994 the museum was opened at the Chatham Dockyard in an old boilerhouse. The museum was closed in 2014 and the collection moved back to Kent Police Headquarters while it was reassessed and a new, permanent location sought.

In 2016 it was announced that the museum would make its new home in Faversham Police Station, and in December the same year the collection moved.

Faversham Police Station is formed of two houses which have been joined together. It was built as one in 1904 and has an original cell block intact. The station remains operational and the new museum will be a fusion between the past and present, capturing the both the rich history of one of the largest forces in the country as well as reflecting day to day policing in the 21st century.
Our future
We’re in the process of developing the new Kent Police Museum in our new home at Faversham Police Station. The museum will be a fusion of the past, present and future of Kent Police and we hope it will be a source of pride for the county.

We’ll be using traditional methods to tell our story as well as use new technology to bring our history to life.

As with all museum collections, when we open the new site we won’t show every artefact from the collection. But as well as a permanent display we will also have a rotating exhibition space that will feature exhibits on different themes.

In the museum you'll be able to:
- Try on real police uniform and see what you’d look like if you were an officer
- Hear real life stories of people who have been involved with Kent Police
- Step into our Edwardian cell block
- See the evidence that brought criminals to justice in Kent in our crime room
As well as the exhibitions we host, we’ll have a strong learning offer for schools and families which will sit directly in line with the National Curriculum. A programme of talks will be held as well as fun activities for all ages.

Introduction

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