Author Martin Stallion has written a new book on Harwich's history which has now been released.

Victorian Harwich saw a part-time police force combat rampant crime, cholera outbreaks, and smugglers.

In 1836, the ageing parish constable system of Harwich was disbanded and replaced with a new force.

The council's Watch Committee oversaw the initial part-time staffing comprised of a chief constable and a dozen other men paid by the hour.

After considerable struggle, the force was restructured in 1848, forming one full-time chief constable, three permanent constables, and special constables called in for exceptional circumstances.

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Alongside traditional miscreants such as pickpockets, drunks, and thugs, the force unsurprisingly tangled with smugglers and shipwreck raiders transformed the bustling port town.

Extraordinary challenges such as mortality due to the cholera epidemic were also encountered by this force.

Constables, crimes and calamities: a new illustrated book sheds light on the force's tales assembling historic documents and information from old newspapers, until 1857 when the town acquiesced to a merge with the Essex County Constabulary.

The book can be purchased at the Harwich Museum, Red Lion Books, or directly from the author at £12 per copy.