The Short, Handbag-Sized Police Baton Most People Never Knew Existed
Every so often, someone sends in a photo of an unusual police truncheon, and it opens up an entirely new corner of British policing history. This week, we were sent a picture of a short wooden baton which, at first glance, looks like a standard-issue truncheon, just smaller. Much smaller.
The ruler in the photo tells the story. Rather than the familiar fifteen to sixteen-inch uniform truncheon most people recognise, this compact version measures roughly ten and three-quarter inches. Same turned hardwood, same ribbed handle for grip, same leather wrist strap, just scaled down to something that would vanish into a coat pocket or handbag.
The owner told us these short batons were used by CID officers in the 1970s and 1980s. They were never part of any formal national standard, which means they were not documented the way uniform equipment was. As with most things from that era, forces often bought local and plain-clothes officers tended to use what was practical rather than what was uniform. That lack of paperwork is probably why so few people have ever even heard of them.
From what we can gather, there were three distinct variants in circulation at the time:
- The CID version
The shortest at around 10.75 inches. This is the type shown in the photo. These rarely appear for sale and tend to fetch strong collector prices simply because so few have survived. - A slightly longer compact version
Around two inches longer, typically in the 12.5 to 13-inch range. Still discreet, still made in the same style, and likely issued where a slightly longer baton was preferred. - The standard full-size truncheon
The familiar fifteen to sixteen inch pattern most forces issued for uniformed duty, and the style our own replica is based on.
What becomes clear once you look into these things is that police truncheons in the late twentieth century were far from uniform. Small local workshops supplied many forces, so specifications varied more than most people realise. Plain-clothes officers often wanted something discreet that would not attract attention, and in some areas, shorter batons were issued to officers who preferred a more manageable size. These variations were completely normal at the time, yet hardly documented, which is why so little information survives today.
These compact truncheons also appeared right at the end of the wooden-baton era, just before modern alternatives took over in the 1990s. Because they were made in much smaller numbers than the standard fifteen-inch pattern, very few have survived, and the ones that do turn up tend to disappear into collections quickly.
We are considering commissioning a faithful replica of the short CID baton, but before we do, we want to gauge whether there is genuine interest. It is a lovely size, a nice bit of hardwood turning, and a forgotten piece of policing history that deserves more attention.
If you are a former police officer or a collector with more knowledge of these short truncheons, we would be very pleased to hear from you. We are also looking to buy one, so if you have an example you would consider selling, please get in touch.
You can contact us >>here<<
In the meantime, if you want a traditional British police-style wooden truncheon, we sell an exact replica of a 1960s Leeds City Police one with a leather lanyard at a very reasonable price (they are so good, even police forces buy them). Click the button below to find out more.
