About us

Introduction

The Kent Police Museum collects and cares for a large number of donated artefacts reflecting the rich history of Kent Police from 1857 until today. We aim to share this very important historical resource with the widest possible audience.

The collection includes uniforms, past and present policing equipment, crime related items, documents, a range of books and official records, as well as a large number of photographs.

The Museum is currently closed whilst plans and funding are put in place to create a completely new visitor experience at Faversham Police Station, our new home. All being well, we will open to the public in the summer of 2018.

In the meantime we'll be working on developing physical access to our collections by adding information about each artefact to an electronic database. This is important museum work and will help to answer some of the many enquiries we receive from the public.

Please note: The Museum is closed to the public until July 2018 whilst we develop new exhibitions and features for visitors.

Our history

The Kent Police Museum collection has grown from items gathered together from within the Force and donated by retired Officers and staff in 1973. The collection occupied space in several offices at Kent Police HQ in Maidstone and, inevitably, space became restricted, leading to new accommodation at Chatham Historic Dockyard in 1994.

For the next 20 years the collection was shared with visitors to the Dockyard and to school children and other groups on special visits before plans were drafted to create a dedicated facility in Faversham.

In 2016, Faversham Police Station became the new home of the Kent Police Museum, although the station will continue to house working police officers and staff. This charming 1904 building is formed of two houses and still retains the original cell block, a feature which will be developed in current plans to create new displays and a more immersive experience for visitors.
Our future
Kent Police is a strong and energetic community of active and retired Officers and staff, and their shared history is a very special part of the Force’s character. This continuing history of Kent Police and an understanding of the issues surrounding policing, past and present, also form an important part of our community identity and well-being.

The creation of a new public museum in a town well known for its long history and rich heritage will make a real impact on visitors, giving insight into the history and development of one of the UK’s largest Police forces.

As time passes and the collection grows, and we build our electronic record keeping, the Museum will also become a valuable resource for those people researching their family history and for those studying policing and its history.

When the Museum opens, you will be able to:
- try on a 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 create, we'll have a strong learning offer for schools which will link directly to the National Curriculum. This will be supported by a programme of talks and fun learning activities for all ages.

Introduction

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