The Tayside Police milestone will be marked tomorrow night with a special gathering at force headquarters in Dundee of serving and former senior officers, police board members, and some of the first recruits to the new Tayside force.

Willie McFarlane, curator of the Tayside Police Museum and a former officer, said, “I can remember May 16, 1975 very well. I was working a late shift in Blairgowrie on May 15 with Perth and Kinross Constabulary which started at 4 pm and ended at midnight.

“I went out to work in the afternoon wearing a blue coloured shirt, an old serge heavy cloth uniform bearing the letters PKC and the numerals 249.

“The following afternoon we all returned wearing white shirts, new style uniform complete with belt, and my new letters and shoulder number — Tayside Police 7401.

“When the new Tayside Police Force was formed, Perthshire lost the complete Dunblane section which included the stations at Callander, Killin, Aberfoyle and Crianlarich.

“In the week that followed many of the officers from the Dunblane section returned to Perthshire and were posted throughout what is now known as Western Division.

“Initially changes were slow in coming and broadly speaking the Western, Central, and Eastern Divisions represent the areas covered by the three constituent police forces.

“The Chief Constable of Angus, John Farquharson, and the Chief Constable of Perth and Kinross, Donald MacInnes, took on the new rank of Assistant Chief Constables and remained in place for around three months to oversee the changes.

“Sentiment aside, I believe that the amalgamation of the three forces was a good thing and has allowed Tayside Police to move forward much faster than it would have done in its past form.

“City policing and rural policing were very much different from one another and I think Tayside’s first Chief Constable John Little realised this and allowed each Divisional Commander to police his respective charge in the way and in the manner which suited the circumstances.”