Retired Sussex policeman seeks permanent site for West Sussex Constabulary history exhibition as he starts work on a series of books

Alan Moore, who joined the police in 1968 as a cadet, has been holding annual exhibitions in Chichester, entitled A History of West Sussex Constabulary 1857 to 1967, adding new information and pictures each time.

This year's free exhibition in The Old Court Room at the Council House, North Street, Chichester, from September 16 to 20 was his fourth and it attracted people from across Sussex and Surrey.

Alan is planning to put what he has researched into books and the 2025 exhibition has been designed with that in mind, displaying the information chapter by chapter.

Alan explained: "I am trying to do a series of paperback books, like Worthing, Arundel and Chichester, because they started with their own police forces before they amalgamated. I'm trying to do it that way to make it interesting and easy to read."

Chichester housed the headquarters of the West Sussex Constabulary, after the County and Police Act 1856 made it compulsory for counties to have their own police force. Before that, law enforcement relied on parish constables and prosecuting societies keeping the peace.

The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 allowed boroughs to form their own police force, though it was not compulsory. Chichester City Police and Arundel Borough Police were formed in 1836 but in 1889, they were amalgamated into the new West Sussex Constabulary.

This had been formed on April 4, 1857, and grew after the Local Government Act 1888 ruled that boroughs with less than 10,000 people were not required to have their own police force.

West Sussex Record Office holds the West Sussex Constabulary archive, which includes a wealth of documents and information, but Alan has also gathered a huge amount of information, photographs, badges, medals and period uniforms.

He has collected pictures from eBay and auctions, as well as receiving some direct contributions, and has gathered hundreds of pages of information.

It all started with him researching details about his grandad, who served as a volunteer in the War Reserve Police in the Second World War, and from that, it has developed into 'more than a hobby'.

Alan said: "I'm looking for a permanent site, so I don't have to keep moving it in and out. We could have a couple of police cars, a couple of motorbikes."

Alan said he was being supported in his search for a venue by former Chief Constable Andy Bliss, who attended his exhibition when he was High Sheriff of West Sussex for 2023-24.

New for the exhibition this year was video footage from a series of police training films that were made for children, shown on a loop. Alan also had film footage of the last parade of West Sussex Constabulary, with the Duke of Norfolk taking the salute at Arundel Castle, and footage of the move to the new police station at Littlehampton.

Alan joined at the time the Sussex forces were being amalgamated and served for around nine years. He then joined the fire service, where he ended up as a fire investigation officer.

He has been building his collection of police memorabilia for many years and spends hours poring over photographs with his magnifying glasses, trying to read collar numbers.

The exhibition features crime, villains, disasters and significant events, with many fascinating photographs, blown up to a large size. One new picture this year was of a funeral in Worthing.

Alan said: "The police recruited inspectors for weights and measures, before it went to the county council. One they recruited, Sumner, died of natural causes and it shows his funeral. I think it's Clifton Road, with the terraced houses."

A whole section was dedicated to WPC Gladys Moss, the first woman police officer to serve in West Sussex Constabulary. She was instrumental in solving a case involving libellous letters in Littlehampton, as featured in the recent Olivia Colman film Wicked Little Letters.

Alan said: "Ironically, one of the policemen in that film was wearing my collar number from when I was in the police."

The exhibition will be in The Old Court Room at the Council House, North Street, Chichester, until Saturday, September 20, admission free but a collection will be made in aid of the Sussex Police Charitable Trust.