Warwickshire Police is the
territorial police force A territorial police force is a police service that is responsible for an area defined by sub-national boundaries, distinguished from other police services which deal with the entire country or a type of crime. In countries organized as federations, ...
responsible for policing
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, ou ...
, with only 823 (full-time equivalents) regular officers as of September 2017. The resident population of the force area is 554,002.
History
The force was established in 1840 as Warwickshire Constabulary. It did not, however, even cover all the rural areas of the county until 1857.
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
,
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
,
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...
,
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
and
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
originally had their own police forces. The Warwickshire force absorbed
Warwick Borough Police
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and W ...
in 1875 and
Stratford-upon-Avon Borough Police in 1889 with
Leamington Borough Police
Leamington may refer to:
Places
* Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England
* Leamington Hastings, Warwickshire, England
* Leamington, Ontario, Canada
* Leamington, Utah, US
* Leamington, Cambridge, a suburb of Cambridge, New Zealand
* Leamington, ...
lasting until 1946. In 1969,
Coventry City Police
Coventry City Police was a police force in the city of Coventry, then in Warwickshire, England, from 1836–1969.
History
The force was created under powers conferred to the City by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, and was overseen by t ...
amalgamated with Warwickshire Constabulary and the force became Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary. However, with the inclusion of Coventry in the new county of the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
in 1974, Coventry passed to the new
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.
The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, W ...
, which also took over the areas of the
Birmingham City Police
Birmingham City Police was the police service responsible for general policing in the city of Birmingham from 1839 to 1974. The force was established by a special Act of Parliament in 1839, and was amalgamated as of 1 April 1974 with the West M ...
and part of the northwestern area of Warwickshire (around
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...
and
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield or the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, known locally as Sutton ( ), is a town and civil parish in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. The town lies around 8 miles northeast of Birmingham city centre, 9 miles south ...
). Warwickshire Constabulary reverted to its old name. In 2001, its name was changed to Warwickshire Police.
Under proposals announced by the then
Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
,
Charles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke (born 21 September 1950) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.
Early life
Th ...
, on 6 February 2006, Warwickshire Police would have merged with
Staffordshire Police
Staffordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England. It is made up of eleven Local Policing Teams, whose boundaries are matched to the nine local authorit ...
,
West Mercia Constabulary
West Mercia Police (), formerly the West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Worcestershire in England. The force area cover ...
and
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.
The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, W ...
to form a single strategic force for the
West Midlands
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
region. These proposals were subsequently abandoned.
Warwickshire Police was until April 2007 a partner alongside three other forces in the
Central Motorway Police Group
The Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) is a co-operative operation between two police forces in the West Midlands of England. Officers from the two forces involved – Staffordshire Police, and West Midlands Police – provide a dedicated po ...
.
In December 2010, the
Warwickshire Justice Centre was completed in Newbold Terrace, Leamington Spa. As well as a police station, the complex houses the
magistrates' court
A magistrates' court is a lower court where, in several jurisdictions, all criminal proceedings start. Also some civil matters may be dealt with here, such as family proceedings.
Courts
* Magistrates' court (England and Wales)
* Magistrate's Cour ...
,
Crown Court
The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...
,
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the high ...
, and other agencies such as the
Probation Service
Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offence (law), offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration.
In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarce ...
and
Victim Support
Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
Activities
;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free and c ...
. It was officially opened by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
on 4 March 2011. A similar complex was already in operation in
Nuneaton
Nuneaton ( ) is a market town in the borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth in northern Warwickshire, England, close to the county border with Leicestershire and West Midlands County.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : Nuneaton's ...
.
Chief constables
The force has had a number of chief constables since 1857:
* 1857–1876 : James Issac
* 1876–1892 : J.H. Kinchant (fled to India and dismissed)
* 1892–1929 : Captain John Turner Brinkley
* 1929–1948 : E.K.H. Kemble
* 1948–1958 : Lt-Col. Geoffrey C. White
* 1958–1964 :
Peter Ewan Brodie
* 1964–1976 : Richard Bonnar Matthews
* 1976–1978 : Albert Laugharne
* 1978–1983 : Roger Birch
* 1983–1998 :
Peter D. Joslin
* 1998–2000 : Andrew C. Timpson
* 2000–2006 : John Burbeck
* 2006–2011 :
Keith Bristow
Keith Bristow QPM served as the first Director-General of the National Crime Agency from 2011 to 2016. He was formerly the Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police, and was appointed in October 2011 to oversee the creation of the NCA and, follow ...
* 2011–2015 : Andy Parker
* 2015–2021 : Martin Jelley
* 2021–present: Debbie Tedds
Organisation
![Warwickshire Police Emergency Response vehicle (BX58 CFW)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Warwickshire_Police_Emergency_Response_vehicle_%28BX58_CFW%29.jpg)
The force is run by a
chief constable, a
Deputy chief constable, an
assistant chief constable. , the force has 1,041
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s, 100
special constables, 87
police community support officer
A police community support officer (PCSO; cy, swyddog cymorth cymunedol yr heddlu, SCCH), or as written in legislation community support officer (CSO; cy, swyddog cymorth cymunedol, SCC) is a uniformed member of police staff in England and Wal ...
s (PCSO), 65
police support volunteers (PSV), and 809 staff.
The county is divided into five districts and boroughs (based on
local government districts/boroughs). There are 33 local policing teams within Warwickshire Police – called Safer Neighbourhood Teams,
*
North Warwickshire
North Warwickshire is a local government district with borough status in the ceremonial county of Warwickshire, West Midlands, England. Outlying settlements in the borough include the two towns of Atherstone (where the council is based) and Co ...
Borough
*
Nuneaton and Bedworth
Nuneaton and Bedworth is a local government district with borough status, in northern Warwickshire, England, consisting of the towns of Nuneaton and Bedworth, the large village of Bulkington and the green belt land inbetween. It had a population ...
Borough
*
Rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
Borough
*
Stratford-on-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-wes ...
District
*
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
District
The districts and boroughs are grouped into three policing areas, each commanded by a
superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
. North Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth make up the North Warwickshire policing area, Rugby makes up the East Warwickshire policing area and Leamington, Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon make up the South Warwickshire policing area.
The current chief constable is Debbie Tedds, who was appointed in July 2021 following the retirement of her predecessor Martin Jelley.
He was appointed to the role on 7 April 2015, following the retirement of Andy Parker.
Parker succeeded
Keith Bristow
Keith Bristow QPM served as the first Director-General of the National Crime Agency from 2011 to 2016. He was formerly the Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police, and was appointed in October 2011 to oversee the creation of the NCA and, follow ...
on 1 December 2011. Bristow succeeded
hn Burbeck, who in turn succeeded Andrew Timpson, who in turn succeeded Peter Joslin.
West Mercia alliance
In September 2013, Warwickshire Police embarked on an alliance with West Mercia Police which saw one of the biggest reorganisations the force ever had. The alliance saw the sharing of back office facilities, force systems and support teams. In October 2018, West Mercia's chief constable and
West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner
The West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner (PCC), an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by West Mercia Police in the English counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shro ...
started formal proceedings to end the alliance. This action was not supported by Warwickshire's chief constable or the
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner
The Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner, an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by Warwickshire Police in the English County of Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviate ...
. The alliance formally ceased to exist in October 2019.
See also
*
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional pol ...
*
List of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom
There are a number of agencies that participate in law enforcement in the United Kingdom which can be grouped into three general types:
* Territorial police forces, who carry out the majority of policing. These are police forces that cover a p ...
*
Table of police forces in the United Kingdom
*
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service serving the county of Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England.
The service covers an area of and a population of around 546,600 people. It employs 550 st ...
References
External links
*
Warwickshire Policeat
HMICFRS
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...
{{Authority control
Police forces of England
Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
1840 establishments in England
Organizations established in 1840
Antecedents of the West Midlands Police