‘OI STOP RIGHT THERE!’
ONCE UPON-A-LONG-TIME-AGO, THE ORIGINAL Triumph factory at Meriden appeared to rule the world in terms of police motorcycles. Forget the British Empire, Triumph were literally everywhere that required police officers to be mounted on two wheels, apart from the USA, where Harley ruled the roost after the demise of Indian.
Somewhat ironically though, it was Douglas and Chater Lea that provided the majority of official police motorcycles for the Metropolitan Police in the early 1920s after the formation of the Met Traffic Division in 1919, although officers had been allowed to use their own personal mounts for escort duties when required prior to the purchase of motorcycles.
Triumph do though get an early foot in the door with a few motorcycle combinations being mentioned in 1921 for the purpose of directing and controlling traffic in the official history. But, it was after the 1930 Road Traffic Act resulting in higher speed limits for cars that more motorcycles were purchased, including BSA solos and BSA and Matchless combinations, to deal with the many new motoring offences created like dangerous driving.
Along the way even Brough Superior got a small part in the development of the police motorcycle, but it was not until just prior to the Second World War that a Triumph
