C.I.D. (CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT)

The Crminal Investigation Department of policing in Liverpool has been subject of many changes over the years. Originally each Police Station in Liverpool had its own C.I.D. Office. How many Detectives worked from each office was dependant on the area each Police Station covered and obviously the size of each Police Station.

The Commander(s) of the C.I.D. both held the rank of Detective Chief Superintendent – Ch/Supt ‘Crime’ and Ch/Supt ‘Operations’.

Prior to the formation of Merseyside Police in 1974 the C.I.D. was a Division within Liverpool Police. On the formation of Merseyside Police the C.I.D. Division was dispanded and every C.I.D officer then became a member of each Division/Department in Merseyside Police under the responsibility of the Ch/Supt commanding a Division/Department. These Ch/Supts became what we know today as, ‘Area Commanders’. The D/Ch.Supt’s remained in command of the C.I.D overall and were responsible for the deployment of C.I.D. Officers in each Division/Area.

The rank of any officer in charge of investigating a Murder/Serious Crime would be one of the D/Ch.Supts and would be identified by the media as, Senior Investigation Officer ( S.I.O.). Today, the S.I.O. normally holds the rank of D/Supt.

Detectives also worked in many other departments viz:

Flying Squad

Special Section

Commando Squad

Fingerprint & Photographic Department

Criminal Intelligence Section (C.I.S.)

Mer C.R.O ( Merseyside Crminal Records Office)

Special Branch

Serious Crime Squad

Regional Crime Squad

A History of these departments can be found in the sub-menus to this page

Det. Supt. George Armstrong 1968