Police Forces of The United Kingdom - Fictional Police Forces

Fictional Police Forces

In the majority of crime fiction, in print or on screen, set in the UK, real police forces are often used as the basis of the drama (though often set in fictional locations). However, there have been some works of fiction that have created their own police forces:

• County Police or County Constabulary – a non-specific identity occasionally used for police dramas and sketches set in fictional or unspecified places on television, sometimes with matching uniforms and badges.
• Dee Valley Police – the local force in Channel 4's Hollyoaks, which in reality would be Cheshire Constabulary.
• Eastlands Constabulary – the local force in Anglia TV's The Chief, about a fictional Chief Constable, played initially by Tim Piggott-Smith, and latterly, Martin Shaw.
• East Tyne Police – the local force in Close & True a legal drama starring Robson Green.
• Heddlu Valleys/Valleys Police – the local police force in the BBC Wales television series High Hopes
• Midlands Central Police – the police service used in BBC Birmingham soap Doctors, it would in reality be West Midlands Police but due to copyright issues surrounding the use of force logos the BBC renamed it Midlands Central Police.
• Midsomer Constabulary – the local police force for the fictional county of Midsomer in the Midsomer Murders book and television series.
• Newtown and Seaport – the towns patrolled by the characters in Z Cars, a UK television series from the 1960s. Set somewhere in Northern England to the north of Liverpool but possibly with no police force name actually mentioned.
• North Counties Constabulary – the local police force for the fictitious city of Castlebury in Yorkshire. Within the plotline, both North Counties Constabulary and the British Transport Police are housed within the same building.
• Northumberland & City / Northumbria & City Police - the fictitious police force in Vera whose name changes inexplicably throughout the series. The force area covers Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland which in reality is covered by Northumbria Police.
• North West Police - The police force used in the soap opera Coronation Street. In reality it would be Greater Manchester Police.
• Sandford Police Service or Sandford Constabulary – the local police force for the fictional village of Sanford seen in the 2006 British film Hot Fuzz. Interestingly Sandford is also the fictional town used for training scenarios by most police forces and is also the name of the real life police training ground. Hence most UK police officers were already familiar with the name before the film was released.
• Tatshire Blues – the local police force in The Box of Delights
• Thamesford Constabulary – the local police force for the fictional county of Thamesford in the television series Softly, Softly: Taskforce.
• Tyneside Police – the police force for Tyneside used in 55 Degrees North police drama. The badge and uniforms were very similar to Northumbria Police, the actual police force for Tyneside. Throughout the series most of the paperwork and signage read 'Tyneside Police' however some paperwork still reads 'Northumbria Police'.
• Wyvern Constabulary – the local police force for the fictional county of Wyvern originally seen during 1967 in the television series Softly, Softly and now featuring in the series Casualty, Holby City and HolbyBlue.