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The Honorary Police

To find out more about the Honorary Police and Jersey’s 12 parishes, click on www.parish.gov.je or have a look at the Jersey Honorary Police website at www.jerseyhonorarypolice.org.

As well as around 240 Police Officers, who make up the States of Jersey Police, the Island of Jersey also has an Honorary Police system. Each of the 12 parishes has an Honorary Police force, which has unpaid, volunteer members, who are either Vingteniers, Centeniers or Constable’s Officers.

The Honorary Police is hundreds of years old, and very much a part of Island life. Before uniformed policing began in Jersey in 1853, policing was carried out by the Honorary Police in each parish on a purely parochial basis.

In the early C19th, 25,000 people lived in St Helier, and crime was widespread. In those days, the town was policed by four Centeniers, seven Vingteniers and 24 Constable’s Officers in an honorary capacity. Today, those historic terms still survive, though policing has changed a great deal since the early days.

Now, the Honorary Police and the States of Jersey Police work together throughout the year to police large events, and for minor offences, the Honorary Police will deal with offenders at a parish hall enquiry.

Under Jersey law, anyone charged at Police Headquarters must be charged by a Centenier of the Honorary Police, and he too will present the charges against an individual if the case is taken to the Magistrate.

Last year, the States of Jersey Police and the Honorary Police signed a memorandum of understanding which set out the conditions under which they have agreed to work together.

To find out more about the Honorary Police and Jersey’s 12 parishes, click on www.parish.gov.je.