1960s

At the dawn of the ‘swinging sixties’, Warwickshire moved forward to the ‘Z cars’ era, where the black Ford Zephyrs made famous by the television series were the knights of the road. Cars were now controlled by the radio systems installed in headquarters.

However, in 1963, a mobile control vehicle in the form of a Commer van carrying a coach built ‘Eagle Works’ body and the distinctive registration number 999 FWD, was brought into service and affectionately nicknamed ‘The Mobile Nick’. This vehicle, complete with radio mast and awning, served the force well right up to the National Union of Miners (NUM) coal dispute in the 1980s, when it was pensioned off to the Coventry Museum of Transport.

The increased reliance on radio communications in the 1960s was a watershed change in the police patrolling strategy, made complete by the advent of the personal radio which replaced the ‘making of points' to designated telephone kiosk's, or to Police Boxes in the cities. The Pye Pocket Phone was one of the earlier models of personal radios, where the transmitters and the receivers were in separate units. The other endearing feature of this modern communication was the automatic telescopic aerial on the handset which had the annoying habit of shooting up into the officer’s face whilst the radio receiver was precariously attached to the tunic lapel.

In these progressive years the Royal Agricultural Society Showground was established at Stoneleigh. Although it used permanent farm and exhibition buildings, the main event was the Royal Show, held annually in July, which soon proved to be a prestigious and important deployment for officers engaged in traffic control and safe escort of high profile Royal visitors. Mounted officers were drafted in from Birmingham to support during ceremonial duties as Warwickshire had dispensed with its horses back in the 1920s.

1967 witnessed the nationwide revolution of the ‘Breathalyser Device’ to test a motorist’s intake of alcohol by blowing into a special bag, connected to a glass tube of crystals that changed colour to green if the driver was over the legal limit. The accompanying revolution of the time was the introduction of ‘Unit Beat Policing’, using Austin Mini and Morris 1000 saloon cars known as ‘Pandas’ due to the blue livery with distinctive white doors. The system used a segment of the town patrolled by a team of Constables lead by a Sergeant, relieving much of the responsibility of ‘First Response’ from the traffic crews who could then concentrate on the open roads.

Warwickshire Police Women at HQ - 1964

1967 saw Warwickshire’s first female traffic officer, branded by the press of the time as ‘The Petticoat Patrol’.

In 1969 there was a significant change when Warwickshire Constabulary amalgamated with Coventry City Police.