1970s
In 1969 there was a significant change when Warwickshire Constabulary amalgamated with Coventry City Police. Although eminently sensible from a geographic point of view, the partnership only lasted until 1974, when the forces were de-amalgamated during a national shake up of local authority boundaries and Coventry joined the ‘West Midlands Police’. A further casualty was the loss of the boroughs of Solihull, Sutton and Chelmsley Wood to the new midland metropolitan force. During this all too brief association, Warwickshire Constabulary and the country mourned the death of PC Peter Guthrie, shot dead whilst investigating a burglary in Davis’ gun shop in Far Gosford Street, Coventry. PC Guthrie was posthumously awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for gallantry and his colleague, Sgt Meredith, who was also shot but survived, received the George Medal.
Nuneaton Rail Crash - 6th June 19751975, the year following de-amalgamation, witnessed one of Warwickshire Constabulary’s most challenging ‘major incidents’ - the Nuneaton Rail Crash. The overnight sleeper train derailed in the Trent Valley section on 6th June 1975, resulting in a twisted wreckage of mangled steel. Six people lost their lives, which was remarkably low in the circumstances, and the lessons learned from the experience hold the force in good stead for contingency planning to this present day.
At about this time the ‘Burndept’ Personal radio was adopted for general patrol and, in 1977, a substantial extension was added to the HQ mansion house, incorporating a computerised control room which, for the time, was considered ‘state of the art’. The force was allocated the call sign ‘YJ’ as part of the national identification process.