A record number of people – more than 2,600 - attended the annual Open Day at the Warrington-based Museum of Policing in Cheshire.
And this year there was a thrilling new attraction, offering youngsters the chance to become a detective and follow a crime from its discovery to detention of the offender. The vast former male cells unit in the Arpley Street premises became a crime scene. Each individual cell was used to focus on an aspect of police work. Inspector Chris Webster said: “We want to take children through the whole process of crime detection from sorting forensic evidence and following leads to identifying an offender – right through to detention.”
Displays ranged from bagging evidence to sealing off a crime scene. Youngsters were invited to hunt for clues, have their fingerprints taken and match their shoe prints to a range of samples.
They could be photographed as a “villain” and sit in a cell alongside Cheshire Constabulary mascot PC Panda.
“It’s a brilliant event to bring the police and community together,” said Insp. Webster. “It takes community engagement to the next level and it’s great to see everyone working together.”
Outdoor attractions included stirring music from the police band, demonstrations by the police dogs and drone unit, and a falconry display organised by the rural policing team.
Guests included the Mayor of Warrington Cllr Mo Hussain and Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts.
Museum manager Peter Hampson said the day had been unique as volunteers were working with police officers, police cadets and police community support officers to create a bigger and better day.
Visitors enjoyed learning about police history, seeing and trying on old uniforms, exploring police vehicles and hearing how one prisoner escaped!
“It’s been a fantastic day and everyone has enjoyed themselves. It’s a great opportunity for people to find out more about the Force, its work and heritage,” said Peter.
