1980s

1982 was the year of yet another logistical challenge when Pope John Paul II engaged in a ‘Papal Visit’ and a ten square mile restricted traffic zone was imposed around Baginton Airport near Coventry. Crowds were brought in by public transport on a ‘park and ride’ basis from as far afield as The National Exhibition Centre at Birmingham.The A46 Warwick Bypass became a sight to behold with over 2,000 coaches packed in, herringbone style, as it became a giant car park!

In the following year a significant ‘Animal Rights’ protest took place at ‘Cocksparrow Farm’ near Coleshill, where Arctic Foxes were legitimately bred for their fur pelts and officers were subjected to new experiences of crowd control, demonstrations and communication techniques.

On March 17th 1984 Warwickshire Constabulary resources were stretched to the limit when four coal pits in the north of the county were targeted by ‘flying pickets’; in the NUM dispute lead by Arthur Scargill. As some of the coal miners were defying the strike call and others not, feelings ran high and there were ugly scenes. This was the first major deployment where the newly formed and trained ‘Police Support Unit’ (better known as PSUs) were engaged with substantial mutual aid in the form of serials sent to assist from other forces across the country and billeted locally in Army camps.The dispute between the Government and the NUM led to police officers, who were simply trying to maintain the peace, being unkindly referred to by the media as ‘Maggie Thatcher’s boot boys’. Officers working at the pits often completed 16 hour shifts, with many of their rest days cancelled. Meanwhile, those back on division were required to work 12 hour shifts instead of 8 hours to provide normal policing services. The dispute dragged on for some 16 months, causing considerable disruption to both force activities and the personal lives of officers.

At about this time Warwickshire Constabulary engaged in a major civilianisation campaign as part of a strategy to increase specialisation and cut costs. Roles such as Front Office Clerk, Scenes of Crimes Officer, Radio Controller and Training and Personnel Officers, which until this point were primarily police jobs, were opened up to civilian applicants. This new dimension released officers back onto the streets and freed up more resources. If the 1960’s was the radio revolution, then the 1980’s became the age of the computer, more commonly referred to in unsympathetic tones as ‘The Box’. It should be remembered how unnerving it was for officers with little or no IT experience to be expected to embrace the new technology with minimal training at a time when the home computer was almost unheard of!

1985 was the ‘heyday’ of the Warwickshire Police ‘HQ Gala Day’, where the public were invited to join in and experience displays and pageantry in the Leek Wootton grounds and form a closer bond with their police service. Sadly, despite its popularity with the public and the force, the ‘Gala Day’ became too labour intensive in the face of other demands on time and resources and, as the force faced significant financial pressures, had to cease. Financial cuts were to challenge the force for the next decade to come.

In 1987 the Force received it’s first ‘Air Support’ cover in the form of the ‘Midlands Air Unit’ incorporating a four-seater helicopter in collaboration with three other forces. In 1989 the force went a step further by purchasing it’s own Sweitzer helicopter, crewed by a civilian pilot and a police observer. The frail structure of this tiny machine earned it the universal nickname of ‘The Strimmer’ and it was quaintly operated from the front lawn of headquarters, right in front of the Chief Constable’s office window!

Police Uniform - 1980s

In the late 1980’s the concept of Police Cadets was phased out and new recruits had to wait until 18 1/2 years of age before they could join the service. ‘Equal Opportunities’ legislation necessitated changes to force policy and procedures and the height limits of 5’4” for women and 5’8” for men were relaxed, along with the upper age limit of 30 years and 35 years for recruits from the armed services. The decision was taken to scrap the term ‘Policewoman’ and WPC and, from then on, all officers were treated equally.

The force was restructured at this time into six ‘Areas’; Nuneaton, Bedworth, Rugby, Leamington, Warwick and Stratford, plus the Operations Team, including traffic, as an ‘Area’ in its own right.