I visited the recently opened Tayside Police Museum today. The exhibition rooms are actually within the old Kirriemuir Police Station, so authenticity is the watch word. The first room we visited was a former police cell, which had last been used just 5 years ago. Exhibits include fascinating drugs paraphenalia; horrific home-made weapons confiscated in Dundee; collections of uniforms, bravery and sporting awards, and more truncheons than you can shake a stick at. 🙂 The older items evoke an era when policing was much more community based, and it is sad that this has passed.
The volunteer guide was absolutely brilliant and she brought everything to life with just the right amount of detail. We actually arrived half-an-hour after the closing time by mistake, and she generously invited us in when she saw us standing dejected on the door step.
The is more than just a museum, it is a repository for community memory – and tales of former policemen in the Kirriemuir area were exchanged with joy between the guide and my friends.
To my great surprise, given I have no particular interest in the police, the visit was genuinely interesting, and would recommend everyone, both young and old, to pop-in.
Oh yes, it’s free!