The county was divided into four
divisions, which would remain the same for 128 years: •
Inverness •
Lochaber (headquarters in
Fort William) •
Skye • Long Island, covering all the islands in the
Outer Hebrides (
North Uist,
South Uist,
Benbecula,
Barra, and
Harris) except
Lewis, which was within
Ross-shire The force was originally commanded by a
Superintendent, who also headed the Inverness Division. The other divisions were commanded by
Sub Inspectors. These officers were renamed the
Chief Constable and
Inspectors respectively in 1857. There were originally nine
constables in the Inverness division, three in Lochaber, one in Skye, and two in Long Island, for a force of only nineteen men. Between 1841 and 1847 the force also policed the
Royal Burgh of Inverness, absorbing for that period the Town Officers and Watchmen of the Burgh, until the Inverness Burgh Police was set up as a separate force. Throughout the existence of the Force, its headquarters were in
Inverness Castle, an
exclave of Inverness-shire within the boundaries of the Royal Burgh of Inverness. ==Chief Officers==