Published on | #WeAre50, General
An officer is following a long-standing tradition after becoming the third consecutive generation of her family to join the police force in the West Midlands.
The Finney name has been synonymous with Coventry police for more than 40 years.
Dennis Finney joined in 1980 and was stationed at Stoney Stanton Road, then 14-years later his son Simon joined him.
The father-son duo for worked the same shifts for a while, and were even crewed up together for the Millennium Eve and Day.
Hearing all of their stories, Charlotte Finney was inspired to follow in their footsteps and joined us in 2021.
Starting out as a PCSO, Charlotte was posted at none other than Stoney Stanton station as well.
All three generations of Finneys have paraded from Stoney Stanton Station which makes her journey into policing extra special.
She continued to serve alongside her dad, Simon, until his retirement earlier this year.
Together, they patrolled the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and supported those most vulnerable across Coventry.
In March 2023, Charlotte began her training to become a Police Constable and has been a Coventry response officer ever since.
After Simon retired following 30 years of service in the force, we brought together all three generations of the Finneys.
They also visited the Coventry Museum to reflect on years of policing history and share stories from their time in the force.
PC Charlotte Finney said: “I was inspired from an early age to join the police after hearing stories of fighting crime from my dad and grandad.
“I loved hearing about the times when they were crewed together and how policing has changed over the years.
“I am honoured to have also been based at Stoney Stanton and join my family in parading from this station.
“When I was younger, I remember all of my friends and the parents talking about my primary school being broken into.
“The next day I went to my school drawer and found a little note from my dad saying he had been to my school to try and stop the burglars.
“This was a special moment for me and helped me decide that being a police officer was the right job for me.”
In the future, Charlotte would like to try out different departments and specialist teams in the force.
She is also looking forward to progressing in her career and maybe becoming an Inspector just like her dad.
You can learn all about local policing history at Coventry Police Museum in our new location, the Coventry Council House. Visit our fantastic volunteers on Thursday and Fridays from 10 am – 2 pm.