Description
"This whistle was part of the uniform given to recruits when I joined in 1973 and was to be worn so that the chain was visible on the tunic. I am not sure when this practice ceased. It was purely ceremonial although it was originally a form of getting assistance for a beat officer. Personal radios would have been first used in the 1960's.
It was originally used by the Metropolitan Police in the 19th century. They were manufactured in Birmingham and apparently the tone was such that it could be heard from a considerable distance away."
Trevor Howie, retired police officer and Museum of Oxford volunteer