A small steel police box, looking as though it belongs on the set of Doctor Who, stands at the western edge of Boscombe precinct on Christchurch Road. Far from a themed prop, it's a genuinely functioning police box, one of only two still in operation anywhere in the UK.
History
Installed on 8 April 2014, the box arose from a community safety initiative aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour and supporting Boscombe's wider regeneration. Local businesses and organisations funded its construction with £1,500 donations each, acknowledged on engraved paving stones laid around its base. Constructed from steel following a 1929 Metropolitan Police design, the same blueprint that later inspired the TARDIS, it stands roughly 3 metres tall and tips the scales at over two tonnes.
Today
Police officers and PCSOs staff the box regularly during the day, using it as a base for meeting local residents and offering assistance and advice. Outside those hours, a yellow phone fixed to the outside connects the public directly to Dorset Police. The only other functioning police box in the country stands outside Earls Court Underground station in London. It's a small, easily overlooked curiosity compared with the seafront's bigger attractions, discover more in our guide to things to do in Bournemouth.