Essex Police Museum

Monetary Donations

Monetary donations are gratefully received. 100% of donations go to the Museum and help us to continue our preservation and educational work. There are multiple ways you can donate money to us.

Online via PayPal or card: We are a registered charity and are enrolled in the PayPal Giving Fund. You can make one-off or monthly donations here and can gift aid your donation if you are eligible. 

Online via our online shop: Our online shop has a donation item which has various pre-set amounts. Simply select your amount, add to cart and check out. It accepts all major cards and mobile payment systems.

Standing Order: Give a one off gift or make a regular donation to support the work of the Essex Police Museum by completing and returning the standing order form.

Payroll Giving: Essex Police officers and staff can make a regular donation through their salary payroll and retired officers and staff can donate in a similar way through their pension payroll. Download the payroll giving form.

In Person: There is a donation box for cash donations and a QR code for online, card or mobile donations at the museum. We will also have them when we attend external events. 

Legacy: If Essex Police has been important to you, or those close to you, a gift in your will could be the best way to remember and support us. Your gift will ensure we continue to introduce youngsters from the age of two onwards to the police. We run an education programme for all school children in Essex. With your support we can also continue educating vulnerable adults or providing reminiscence sessions in care homes. Your support means that the history of Essex Police will be preserved and treasured for future generations. To find out how to leave a gift in your will please view our legacy leaflet.

Give An Item

The Essex Police Museum is very grateful to those who donate items to its collection. If you would like to donate something please email us. It would be useful if you can include as many details as possible and photographs of the item(s). Each donation is considered on a case-by-case basis according to our collection policy and our resources. If we are unable to accept your donation we will try our best to suggest an alternative home for it. 

If we are able to accept your donation we will arrange an appointment for you to bring it to the museum and complete the necessary paperwork. We will need to confirm your contact details, your ownership, usage permissions and copyright details (if known). We will also note the condition of the item(s), its background and function. You should expect the process to take between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the size of the donation. At the end of the appointment we will confirm the details with you, ask you to sign (transferring ownership to the Museum) and give you a copy of everything. Unfortunately we are not to put everything on display, but we will discuss this with you during the appointment. 

We Are Seeking:

Below is a list of gaps in our collection or items that would greatly enhance it. 

• Modern Equipment: Many people think we are not interested in modern things as they aren't 'old'. However this means many things get lost which creates a collection gap in the future. In particular we have very little about mobile first, FCR (2000s onwards) and bodycams.  
• Police Buildings: We have a huge collection gap around police buildings, especially police housing. We would be very interested in photographs or building plans of any police buildings, including ex-stations, buildings now in other police territories and ex-police houses.
• Photographs: Photographs are always useful, especially if names and/or context are available. This includes photographs right up to the present day. See our usage notes below for information on protecting your privacy. 
• Memories and Stories: All memories and stories are extremely valuable and a favourite of our visitors. They can be on any topic or any moment in policing history or the modern day. Some examples of stories we have used are recollections of day-to-day policing work, working on high-interest cases, how policing has changed, using old equipment and funny anecdotes. See our usage notes below for information on protecting your privacy. 

Usage

Unfortunately we are not able to put everything on display, but there are many ways we could use your donation:

• Permanent Museum Displays: Some of our displays are permanent but on occasion we may add or replace items within them. 
• Temporary Museum Displays: Essex Police has a vast history and it's not possible to cover all of it in our small space. To combat this we create temporary displays, usually running for about a year. 
• External Exhibitions: We may host an exhibition in another police building, community centre or loan items for exhibitions in other museums. We always ensure the items are kept safe and are displayed appropriately to avoid damage. 
• Handling Collection: The Museum has a handling collection made up of replica or surplus original items. We allow the handling collection to be used by the public under our supervision. Examples include dressing up, touch objects for visually impaired visitors, education resources and community engagement. 
• Publication: We may use your photographs, stories or photographs of your objects on social media or in publications. However this is subject to our privacy rules (see below).
• Research: Our collection is available to private researchers and cold case review teams. 

Protecting Your Privacy

We do not allow the use of items (including records of service), names or personal information (including photographs) unless:

• We have the permission of the person(s)
• The person(s) is deceased
• We can reasonably assume the person(s) are deceased. Our policy is if the person(s) would be around or above 100 years old.
• We can redact identifying factors

If you would like us to use your item(s) but put measures in place to anonymise information please let us know when you donate it. Examples include:

• We are able to anonymise quotes, memories and stories 
• We can cover the face of person(s) in a photograph
• We can redact identifying factors in written information