Suffolk Constabulary Museum
The museum deals with Suffolk artefacts and photographs dating back to the very start of policing in the county. It is situated at the Constabulary Headquarters at Martlesham Heath near Ipswich.
At present it occupies an area around the Assembly Hall, with wheelchair access to the museum and disabled toilets, all of which are on one level.
Meet The Team
Rachael Copley (Volunteer)
Rachael is employed by the Suffolk Constabulary as a data quality officer. She has a keen interest in history and over and above her day job volunteers at the museum.
Alan Girling (Volunteer)
On leaving school Alan joined Ipswich Borough Police as a police cadet before being appointed police constable in 1961. He served all but the last four years within Ipswich, mostly in uniform duties as a constable and sergeant. He was posted to Felixstowe in 1986 and retired in 1990.
Eric Hopes (Volunteer)
Eric joined the former East Suffolk Police as a cadet in 1949. He served in that force and the Suffolk Constabulary until retirement in 1988 as a Superintendent, having been stationed all over the county. He served six years in Cyprus and Nyasaland (Malawi) Police forces 1957 – 1963. On retirement as a police officer, he continued to work for the Force as a member of civilian support staff for ten years as the Force Firearms’ Licensing Officer.
Graeme Read (Volunteer)
Graeme joined Suffolk Constabulary as a Cadet in 1975. On joining the regular Constabulary in March 1977 he was posted to Lowestoft as a foot, cycle and panda patrol officer.
1978 saw him posted to Halesworth, Eye and then Framlingham as a Rural patrol and community beat officer.
In 1981 he was posted to the FHQ Traffic Unit upon successful completion of the relevant driving courses and Traffic Law course. At this time he also served as a diver on the Force Underwater Search Unit. He also qualified as a VIP Driver, transporting members of the Royal Family and senior Politicians visiting the county. In 1997 as a qualified Firearms Officer he joined the FHQ Operational Support Group (Firearms) working on the Armed Response vehicle and specialising as a Rapid Intervention officer.
In 2005 he qualified as an Advanced Driving Instructor and joined the Force Driver Training Unit.
Graeme retired as a Police Officer in 2008 but continued in the Driver Trainer role as Police Staff until his final retirement in 2020.
Annie Powell (Volunteer)
Following time in the armed forces, Annie joined Sussex Police in 2001 as an Investigative Support Assistant in CID before moving to the Chief Constable’s staff office in 2004 as Principal Committee Officer. In 2009 she moved to Norfolk Constabulary in HR before moving to Suffolk Constabulary in 2012 as a Communications Data Investigator. Annie has been a member of UNISON since 2001 and has held various roles within that organisation. In 2016 she became the Assistant Branch Secretary of Suffolk Police UNISON Branch, a role she currently holds. In addition she has been Women’s officer and Health and Safety officer and has been a member of the National Police and Justice Service Group since 2016. Over and above these roles Annie volunteers at the museum and at the Suffolk Constabulary Sports and Social Club bar.
Derek Wilding (Volunteer)
Derek joined the Suffolk Constabulary in 1984 starting at Bury St Edmunds. He worked mainly in West Suffolk on Bury Rural, at Brandon, Mildenhall and Bury Traffic Unit. Away from the west of the county, he had two postings to Police Headquarters, Martlesham Heath, in the Training/Learning and Development Department before returning to Bury St Edmunds as a Response Team Inspector. Derek retired in 2011.
How you can support the museum
The museum is staffed by volunteers.
Our volunteers have a policing background (often from Suffolk Constabulary), and/or a keen interest in the history of policing. While having a policing background is beneficial, it is not essential. If you would be interested in joining the volunteering team at Suffolk Constabulary Museum to assist with maintaining the museum as well as hosting visiting groups, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Donations
There is no charge made for visits. As the museum is not directly funded, any donations are gratefully received. If you wish to make a donation, please ask a museum volunteer for details, or enquire by contacting us as below
Contact us
Email (for all enquiries): [email protected]
By post:
PC Hannah Canning
Ipswich East Safer Neighbourhood Team
118 Heath Road
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP4 5SP
How to get here
Suffolk Constabulary Headquarters is situated at Martlesham Heath on the A1214.
Upon arrival at the site please follow the driveway and park in the visitors’ car park in front of the main building which is where you will be met.
Opening hours
The museum is not open to the general public but is available for group tours (minimum of 10 people up to a maximum of 24 per tour) between Monday to Thursday. As it is a working building, tours cannot start until 6pm.
In special circumstances weekend tours can be arranged. There will be days where visits can’t take place due to Constabulary commitments.
On rare occasions, due to an emergency, visits might have to be cancelled at short notice but every effort would be made to inform the organisers as soon as possible.
Museum tour
A tour of the museum will take about an hour and a half. They will be on hand to answer any questions you have, as well as being able to talk to you about life in the police service.
We have a collection of uniform, hats, batons and handcuffs etc which visitors are welcome to try on if they wish.
This is not a ‘Crime Museum’ (although there are several weapons on display) and it is suitable for children of about 5 years and over. Tour content will be adjusted according to the needs of visitors attending at the time.
Downloads
Please note: some or all of these documents may not be suitable for use with assistive technologies. Contact us by email if you require information in an alternative format.