The British South Africa Police and its immediate forerunner, the
British South Africa Company's Police, was responsible for maintaining
law and order in the vast territories between the Limpopo and Zambesi
Rivers and the Bechuanaland Protectorate on the West and Portuguese East
Africa on the East. These territories became Southern Rhodesia, named
after Cecil Rhodes who was the driving force behind the B.S.A. Company.
From commencement in 1889 until disbandment in 1980 the B.S.A.P.
steadily evolved from a military organisation, the First Line of Defence
of Rhodesia, to a modern Police Force. It still maintained the
traditions of a Regiment in its discipline and after disbandment the
many branches of the Old Comrades organisations world wide of the
B.S.A.P. are titled Regimental Associations. This booklet comprises
articles from each decade of the Force's existence and illustrates the
evolution. At the beginning the horse was the main means of transport
and gradually through the 20th century mechanical transport took over
and more sophisticated techniques were employed. At the end during the
major counter-insurgency operations of the Rhodesian Bush war, aircraft
and helicopters were used. Ironically, at the end, there was still a
Mounted Unit operational which rendered valuable service. Hopefully, all
the articles together give a snapshot of the history of the B.S.A.P.
