West Midlands Police
The force covers an area of 348 square miles (900 km2) with 2.93 million inhabitants,[2] which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country.[21] The force attracted controversy in 2010 when Project Champion, a £3 million scheme to install a network of CCTV cameras in the predominantly Muslim areas of Washwood Heath and Sparkbrook, came under fire from local residents and civil rights organisations.[37] Former Leader of the Opposition Harriet Harman described the fact Banfield did not receive a custodial sentence as “proof ... that [the] system fails women and protects men”.[39] A 2021 investigation by Newsnight and The Law Society Gazette found that alleged hate crimes in which the victim was a police officer were significantly more likely to result in a successful prosecution across a number of force areas including the West Midlands.[1] West Midlands Police covers an area of 348 square miles (900 km2) with 2.93 million inhabitants,[2] which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country.[58] The force's current structure was gradually introduced over the past two years with the Solihull and Birmingham South LPUs being the first area to see the change in June 2011,[59] and the Walsall LPU being the last in January 2013.[60] The structural change was introduced as part of the force's 'Continuous Improvement' programme with the ambition of working in a more cost effective and efficient manner and was overseen under the advice of accounting firm KPMG.They can be allocated to neighbourhoods suffering particular issues, for example anti-social behaviour, and are also often public order trained, so are used for policing football matches, demonstrations and similar occasions.Key responsibilities of investigation teams are as follows:[62] Aligned to specific neighbourhoods, these officers seek to tackle long term issues affecting local areas and attend community meetings.It operated from July 1987,[70] until it was replaced by the After experimenting, since the 1970s, with civilian helicopters hired on an occasional basis,[71] West Midlands Police launched their own air unit on 10 May 1989.[85] One major responsibility of the department is organising the policing operation for the Autumn political party conferences that are often held at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.[87] West Midlands Police operate a number of armed response vehicles (ARVs) that patrol the region and respond to incidents typically involving guns, knives or dangerous dogs.[88] Officers undertake a ten-week selection process to join the firearms unit with courses being delivered on weapons, tactics and advanced driving.Officers from the force traffic unit usually hold advanced driving grades and have access to marked and unmarked vehicles, including BMWs and Audis fitted with evidential video recording equipment.West Midlands Police has dedicated intelligence cells based on each LPU who collate and disseminate information collected by officers from a range of other sources.This role involves "sanitising" intelligence logs and forwarding them on to relevant persons, receiving information from outside sources such as Crimestoppers, and assisting with the progression of investigations.As part of the service's work, the force also maintains a number of Casualty Bureau facilities at which calls from the public are taken and collated following a major incident such as a plane crash or terrorist attack.[99] Working from Park Lane the operational support unit is a team of officers specially trained in areas including Public Order policing, method of entry and searching.PPU is split between adult and child investigations, is responsible for safeguarding and works with partner agencies such as social services and domestic violence charities.[104] Where appropriate, PSD have a range of outcomes following disciplinary panels, including no action, counselling (management advice), written warning, transfer to another post, withholding increments and dismissal.[106] Also known as Corporate Communications, the West Midlands Police Press Office is centralised at headquarters and is charged with representing the force's public image.West Midlands Police maintains a presence on social media websites including Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and blogging platforms.[115][116][117][118] On being accepted to join the force, new recruits undergo an initial training course last eighteen weeks which is non-residential and based mainly in the classroom but with periodic practical exercises and attachments.[120] Officers are issued with fleeces, weatherproof pullovers, fluorescent jackets, high visibility tabards, waterproof over trousers and slash resistant gloves.[121] As part of standard issue Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), officers carry Sepura TETRA radios, rigid handcuffs, PAVA spray and an extendible friction lock baton.[127] Large scale policing demonstrations such as protest marches and football matches were coordinated from the Events Control Suite (ECS) in Birmingham.Public Order courses are hosted at the regional training centre which consists of a converted aircraft hangar on the RAF Cosford site near Telford.The site has facilities allowing officers to experience riot situations including dealing with 'Emotionally Disturbed Person' scenarios during which they are subject to attacks by role playing actors wielding weapons.[128] West Midlands Police operate a Custody Visiting Scheme under which independent representatives from local communities are able to access detention facilities to observe, comment and report upon the welfare and treatment of detained persons.[132] Police officers are restricted by their regulations from striking and from taking part in active politics, hence the Federation represents their interests and negotiates on their behalf in relation to pay, conditions and pensions.
Birmingham City PoliceWest Midlands ConstabularyStaffordshire County and Stoke-on-Trent ConstabularyWarwickshire and Coventry ConstabularyWest Mercia ConstabularyPolice forceWest MidlandsUnited KingdomPolice Act 1996His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue ServicesIndependent Office for Police ConductBirminghamspecial constablesPolice and Crime CommissionerSimon FosterChief ConstableHome Officeterritorial police forcemetropolitan countyCoventryWolverhamptonBlack Countrypolice community support officersStaffordshire PoliceCentral Motorway Police GroupNational Police Air ServiceChartistshillingsHollywoodCoventry PoliceDudley Borough PoliceDudleyRoyal CommissionWalsall Borough PoliceWolverhampton Borough PoliceLocal Government Act 1972Derrick CapperWest Midlands Serious Crime SquadWest Yorkshire Police60 convictionsBirmingham SixMiners StrikeWorld in ActionLeicestershire PoliceHome SecretaryCharles ClarkeWarwickshire Constabularyprison overcrowdingprison cellsSteelhouse Lane police stationOperation SafeguardHM Prison ServicePaul Scott-LeeChris SimsWashwood HeathSparkbrookcivil rightsComprehensive Spending Reviewemployment tribunalage discriminationEmployment Appeal TribunalCourt of AppealprivatiseDave ThompsonprobationaryLeader of the OppositionHarriet Harmancustodial sentenceCrown Prosecution Servicegross misconductNewsnightThe Law Society Gazettehate crimeshate incidentsHis Majesty's Inspectorate of ConstabularyWest Midlands Police and Crime CommissionerLloyd HousePhilip KnightsGeoffrey DearRon HadfieldEdward Crewe Dave Thompsonpolice and crime commissionersHandsworthAfrican Caribbeancriminal chargecourt summonspolice officerspolice support volunteersa number of police stationsmountedPolice aviation in the United KingdomAérospatiale AS355 F2Birmingham AirportBorder ForceTerrorism Act 2000M6 motorwayPerry BarrQuinton, BirminghamNational Highwayscounter-terrorismCONTESTBalsall Commonsearch dogsCanleyWednesburyInternational Convention Centrearmed response vehiclesthe issue of shotgun and firearms certificates to members of the publicHarborneasset seizuresProceeds of Crime Act 2002forensic samplescrime scene photographyCrimestoppersundercover policing operationsRegulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000Warwickshire PoliceWest Mercia PoliceCivil Contingencies Act 2004burglaryrobberiesfraudsBritish Transport PoliceCENTROmisconduct