British South Africa Police

Commissioner

7 February 1978 to 1 August 1980 (Cessation of the British South Africa Police)
(1920-1995) CLM; OLM; PCD; PCM; PLSM

Peter Kenneth Allum, born on 12 June 1926 in Isleworth, United Kingdom, was educated at Gunnersbury Catholic Grammar School before beginning his early service in the Fleet Air Arm, an experience that shaped the discipline and technical competence he later brought to policing. He attested into the British South Africa Police as a trooper on 28 April 1946 and soon gravitated toward detective work, spending almost his entire career within the Criminal Investigation Department. His postings took him across the country, including Beitbridge (Immigration), Umtali, Salisbury, Bulawayo and Gwelo, where he developed a reputation for methodical investigative skill and steady leadership. Commissioned in 1960, Allum rose steadily through the CID hierarchy, becoming Provincial Commander (PCIO) for the Midlands Province in 1963 and later for Salisbury and Mashonaland in 1967. On 1 October 1970 he was appointed Officer Commanding CID, placing him at the centre of major criminal and security investigations during a turbulent period. His promotion to Deputy Commissioner (Crime and Security) on 7 February 1974 reflected both his seniority and his strategic importance within the organisation. Decorated with the PCD (1973), OLM (1976), CLM (1978), CPM and PLSM, Peter Allum retired to South Africa, where he died in Carltonville on 17 April 2015.