Remembering officer killed on duty fifty years ago
Today we remember PC David Green, who was fatally stabbed while on duty in 1975. David Christopher Green was a cadet with the Birmingham City Police, becoming a regular officer on his 19th birthday, on 28th January 1974. Just over two months later he became a West Midlands Police officer with the merge of local …
Fashion Police – a look back in time
On Tuesday (12 Nov), we welcomed guests from the force, Birmingham City University (BCU), and youth organisations, to a heritage-themed fashion show displaying 11 different police uniforms from across the years. The fashion show was a collaboration between the Museum and BCU students in the gaming, digital, and fashion schools, funded by Heritage Fund UK. …
The first Black firearms officer in West Midlands Police. Paul Lee joined West Midlands Police in 1991 after seeing an advert for the police and deciding to go for it. He was 19 years of age and didn’t really have any career ambitions at this point. He was initially posted to Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry, …
The memories of fallen officers live on
The years may pass but the memories of our fallen heroes are never forgotten. Former police staff who made the ultimate sacrifice are immortalised within an area of remembrance at our Lloyd House headquarters, and within a tribute at the West Midlands Police Museum. It enables loved ones, the policing family and wider public to …
Diary of a Heritage Manager – Memorials
The Roll of Honour is very special to us at the museum. I first got involved with the Roll of Honour in 2015, when I was working in Estates and volunteering with the museum. In the museum in Sparkhill, there were 15 filing cabinets full of Birmingham City Police and West Midlands Constabulary files. I …
New Coventry Police Museum opens
We’re delighted to have opened our new Coventry Police Museum within the heart of the city centre. It has been opened today (4 September) within Coventry City Council House and contains a range of information, images and historical items. A number of guests including our Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the Police and Crime Commissioner Simon …
International Dog Day | No hiding place from our super sniffers
They’re our four-legged friends who play an important role in catching criminals across the West Midlands. Our cute but clever police dogs have been a much-valued part of our policing response for many decades now. While the breeds involved have evolved, so have the skills of our canine crimefighters due to our puppy development programme …
Unlocked Stories : Award Winning Mounted Police
In 1840 the first seven horses were added to Birmingham Police and whilst some would be used to escort prisoners or royal visits, they were mostly reserved for ceremonial duties. It wasn’t until Chief Constable Sir Charles Haughton Rafter established the Birmingham City Police Mounted Section in 1923 that horses and their riders became a …
Diary of a Heritage Manager – From Tally Ho to Steelhouse Lane
For this blog, I thought I’d take a look back at how the museum itself has evolved over the past 50 years and how we are continuing to mark our special anniversary. The West Midlands Police Museum originated in 1964 as the Birmingham City Police Museum at our Tally Ho! training facility, so is actually …
Diary of a Heritage Manager – Diversity part two
Earlier this week, I began talking about the very broad topic of diversity. Here’s part two, as diversity understandably has several very unique strands that all warrant a mention in their own right. Sexuality In the early 1970s it was something that wasn’t spoken about at all. Gay and lesbian officers went to great lengths …
Share your knowledge and passion for policing
We’re looking for enthusiastic, positive, and creative individuals to join their volunteer family. In particular, we’re keen to recruit volunteers to support our award-winning education team to help with school visits in the week. It’s been five whole terms since the Lock-up opened and in this time, we have provided 141 school visits, 3 school …
