West Midlands Constabulary

The West Midlands Constabulary was a police force in the West Midlands of England.

This article is about the force which existed from 1966 to 1974. For the modern-day force, see West Midlands Police.
West Midlands Constabulary
Agency overview
Formed1 April 1966 (1966-04-01)
Preceding agencies
Dissolved31 March 1974 (1974-03-31)
Superseding agencyWest Midlands Police
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionEngland, UK
Legal jurisdictionEngland & Wales
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
Agency executives
Parent agencyHome Office

It was created on 1 April 1966 under the Police Act 1964, with the re-organisation of the Black Country area as the five contiguous county boroughs of Dudley, Walsall, Warley, West Bromwich and Wolverhampton. Dudley Borough Police, Walsall Borough Police and Wolverhampton Borough Police were incorporated wholly into the new force. It also took in parts of the Staffordshire Constabulary and Worcestershire Constabulary.[1]

The force was initially headed by Chief Constable Norman W. Goodchild, former Chief Constable of Wolverhampton Borough Police, until 1967, when he was replaced by Edwin Solomon, former Chief Constable of Walsall Borough Police.[2]

On 1 April 1974 it amalgamated with the Birmingham City Police and parts of Staffordshire County and Stoke-on-Trent Constabulary, Warwickshire and Coventry Constabulary and West Mercia Constabulary to form the West Midlands Police, because of the Local Government Act 1972 which created the new West Midlands metropolitan county, which covered the West Midlands constabulary area along with Birmingham and Coventry and a few other surrounding towns.

See also

References
  1. Home Office circular 67-1966 announcing the force's creation
  2. History of WM Police. Accessed via the Wayback Machine on 31 January 2006
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