1857 - 2007

1990s

PC Brian Dobson meeting the public - Whitnash - 1996

The 1990s saw a major change in uniform, when the blue shirts of Constables and Sergeants were replaced by the ‘White Shirts’ traditionally worn by more senior ranks. Female officers adopted a reinforced bowler hat instead of the white trimmed felt option. Similarly, skirts were phased out to be replaced by more practical ‘culottes’, then eventually full-length trousers.

In 1993 a school minibus crashed on the newly opened M40 motorway to the north of Warwick in the early hours of the morning, catching fire and taking the lives of the schoolteacher driver and 12 children returning from a school trip. Though quick to respond as an emergency Service, Warwickshire Constabulary were taken by surprise by the nationwide media attention which this collision attracted and from there on ‘Media Support’ has become a necessary and integral part of policing strategy.

In 1995 the beat bobby was armed with a new form of defence – the PR24 side handled baton. This American-style long stick was worn hanging overtly on a loop from the belt and officers were trained to use it both defensively and aggressively. Though highly effective in restoring order, it changed the concept of the ‘Community Bobby’ forever and catapulted the image of the service to a more military style; with many officers seeing the baton as a barrier to their relationship with the public. The necessity to provide officers with batons, perhaps a sad reflection on changes to society, continued into the next millennium when ‘CS Spray’ would be introduced as standard issue. Stab resistant vests were also made compulsory. The traditional policing image of ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ was lost forever.

Firearms officers were by this time quite prevalent in their specialised units, no longer just being deployed for diplomatic or exceptionally serious planned operations, but also on general patrol. Vehicles were double crewed in a high-powered patrol car named the ARV (Armed Response Vehicle). This force-wide resource routinely carried firearms in the car and could be deployed at short notice by the Control Room Inspector, when a threat from firearms was reported. The stringent requirement for specialised training to Home Office Standards for this elite unit of officers placed yet further serious demands on a hard-pressed workforce.

In 1996 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II performed an official visit to the towns of Warwick and Stratford upon Avon and, in 1997, Prince Michael of Kent opened the newly constructed ‘Centralised Communication Centre’ at HQ, Leek Wootton. This new concept saw the end of the localised control rooms across the force and employed ‘Specialised’ staff to maximise efficiency. The Force Communication Centre excels controlling both ‘Major Incidents’ and planned operations.The most serious natural disaster which the Force has ever experienced took place during Easter 1998; when freak rainstorms over a prolonged period delivered the greatest floods in living memory. The speed at which floodwaters engulfed the whole of the south of the county was incredible and the Communications Centre took thousands of calls for assistance. Within a few hours a chain of command in liaison with other organisations and agencies, lead by the Police, got to grips with the circumstances; logistical aid from as far away as Anglesey was drafted in to assist. Sadly, two people lost their lives and millions of pounds worth of flood damage was caused primarily in Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon.

The retiring Chief Constable at this time was Peter Joslin, QPM. Having achieved 44 years of service, Mr Joslin was the longest serving Chief Constable in the country at that time and the longest serving police officer in the history of British policing - a record which is unlikely to be broken!

Animal rights protesters once again challenged the force’s resilience in 1998, with a protracted demonstration against the live export of calves for production as veal meat to France from Baginton Airport. Policing duties were shared with the bordering West Midlands Force and the temperature was dramatically raised when a returning cargo plane crashed, killing the three crew members and, in a separate tragedy, when Gillian Phipps, a protester, was fatally injured by a lorry transporting livestock.

The approaching new Millennium was the dawn of a new era for many, including Warwickshire Police. The new Chief Constable John Burbeck was determined that the organisation projected a ‘cutting edge’ profile and modern image. The Warwickshire Constabulary badge lost its chains from the famous Bear and Ragged Staff, producing a more simplistic logo and, from this time on, ‘Warwickshire Constabulary’ became known as ‘Warwickshire Police’.

Traditionalists hated it but the new profile demanded it and in a fairly short period of time, badges, letterheads, flags and signs were transformed to the new corporate design, and a new vision statement “Warwickshire – the safest place to be” was created.

Incredibly as it seems now, in the lead up to the Millennium, the entire world was convinced by a scientific notion that at midnight on December 31 1999, computer systems would universally crash, plunging vital services into chaos and providing a fertile opportunity for organised crime and disorder. The phenomena was referred to as the ‘Y2K bug’ and Warwickshire, like all other police services, began to make extensive contingency plans. Extra police resources were deployed and all leave was cancelled across the county. However, in reality, the Millennium celebrations went off without serious disruption. As always, the officers and staff of Warwickshire Police stood by to protect the community, just in case they were needed.