Books relating to the history of the West Midlands Police

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Reporting For Duty https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1916168000/

‘Courage and Commitment’ was the motto adopted by the West Midlands Police when it celebrated twenty-five years of existence in 1999. It was as relevant then as it is to this day. ‘Reporting For Duty’ seeks to provide the reader with a unique insight into the world of policing in the West Midlands, and the challenges faced by the Force daily from its inception on the 1st of April 1974, to 1999. It covers a tumultuous period of social history, as the fabric of society was moulded, stretched, and reformed against a backcloth of political and civil unrest, culminating in outbreaks of serious violence and acts of terrorism, whilst serious crime and serious criminals constantly tested the Force's ability to respond effectively.

This book highlights many personal acts of ‘courage and commitment’, but it also pays tribute to those officers who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives in the ‘line of duty’. Time marches on, but they will forever remain in the thoughts of their families and the Police Service to which they gave so much. They will not be forgotten by the ‘police family’.

This is a book filled with factual police history blended with personal accounts from scores of individuals who provide a ‘human touch’ to the story of arguably the UK’s second biggest police force. It is also packed with two hundred images, most of which have never been seen by the public.

‘Reporting For Duty’ is a must-read for police historians, and social history academics, but mostly it is a compelling read for members of the public who simply want to know more about what makes the men and women who serve in the police continue to ‘report for duty’ whatever the challenges they will have to face.’?

Extract: ‘PC David Christopher Green joined the former Birmingham City Police as a police cadet in 1971 and became a constable in January 1974.

In just eighteen months David Green was awarded three commendations for good police work, one of which involved the rescue of a mentally disturbed man from the sixth floor of a city-centre building.

PC Green, then aged twenty years, was a member of the ‘A’ Division and at about 11pm on 17th July 1975 he was on patrol in High Street, Birmingham when he saw a group of youths outside the ‘Rainbow Suite’ a dance venue, shortly after an event had finished. One of this group was seen to remove a knife from his pocket and place it into the waistband of his trousers.

The officer approached this individual who then pushed him and attempted to run off, only to be detained by PC Green a short distance away. The offender was arrested, and the knife removed from him, but shortly afterwards other members of the group surrounded the officer in an effort to free the prisoner.

PC Green was punched and kicked during which the prisoner managed to break free, however the officer managed to detain one of his attackers who then produced his own knife and stabbed PC Green fatally in the heart, before running off.

Despite his injury the officer bravely tried to continue the chase before collapsing on the pavement.

An ambulance was quickly on the scene but despite frantic attempts to save his life David Green died in hospital.

An initial search for the murder weapon proved fruitless, however the following day further searches were conducted resulting in the recovery of a carving knife, which was found buried in a flowerbed near to ‘Rackham’s’ Department Store….’

Hunting The Hooligans https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CT2LZ1J1/

‘In the notorious 1980s, football violence was rife. The yobs were rampant, crowds were falling, and the Government was near despair. One of the worst gangs was identified as a multi-racial crew of thugs and thieves who followed Birmingham City FC. They looted shops, ransacked pubs, and butchered rivals. They called themselves the ‘Zulu Warriors’. In 1987, after a bloody assault on one of their own, West Midlands Police set up a secret unit to infiltrate the Zulus and bring them down. Michael Layton, an ambitious and determined detective, assembled a small team in a secret location and set out to gather evidence on scores of targets. Operation Red Card was born. It was fraught with danger. A key informant played a deadly game to pass on vital intelligence about the gang. Undercover officers faced the constant threat of exposure and reprisal, on one occasion being locked in a pub and interrogated by a hostile crowd. Others faced arrest by unwitting colleagues when caught up in brawls while posing as would-be hooligans. The climax came with co-ordinated dawn raids to round up the ringleaders and their foot soldiers. But similar mass trials had collapsed in court amid claims of improper evidence-gathering. Would the case stand up? ‘Hunting The Hooligans’ is the first ever inside account of an anti-hooligan operation by the man who ran it, and of the brave cops who pushed it to the limit.’

Extract: ‘At around 11 p.m. on Saturday 10th January 1987, an off-duty police officer, P.C. Harry Doyle, was in ‘Boogies’ Nightclub, a three-tiered club in Birmingham City Centre, popular with known ‘Zulu Warriors’.? The premises were full, the norm for a Saturday night, with plenty of men celebrating Birmingham City’s one-nil win at Ipswich Town in the FA Cup Third Round.? Tall and well built, Doyle was quite capable of looking after himself in any ‘physical’ situations. Tonight, though he was on his own and in unfamiliar territory, and his short haircut and smart, clean-cut appearance ensured he caught the attention of a few ‘undesirables’ frequenting the place.? As to why he was even there, alone, or not, or why he even entered the notorious ‘Zulu’ haunt of ‘Boogies’, was never really explained.? Bravado, inebriation or plain stupidity, the fact is that he should not have been anywhere near the place.?

It was normal in those times for off-duty officers to use their police warrant cards to gain access to nightclubs and the like, thus avoiding paying entrance fees.? Club owners generally welcomed such presence in their establishments but given the character of some of the ‘Boogies’ door staff, employed based on how well they could handle themselves rather than their respect, if there was any, for the police, this could well have contributed towards P.C. Doyle’s impending plight.? And I am sure that certain people in the nightclub that night would have suspected Doyle was working in an undercover role, but he was not, he was simply ‘out on the town’, for a drink.? He was certainly made to pay for his mistake.’

Birmingham’s Front Line https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1445657872/

‘‘Birmingham's Front Line’ offers a fascinating and unique insight into police culture and the problems faced by those on the thin blue line during a tumultuous time in Britain’s second city. Containing accounts from the author and his former colleagues of robberies, rapes and murders, these true stories will shock and stun as the author reveals the tools and tactics used to combat the violence, bribery and general disregard of law and order encountered every day as the police fought to bring these criminals to justice. Covering the period from 1976 to 1988, Birmingham city centre represented a microcosm of criminal activity throughout the United Kingdom in this period – at one end of the spectrum, hardened armed robbers out to make a fast and brutal ‘buck’: at the other, the punks, bikers and skinheads just looking for the cheap thrill of mindless violence. Hooliganism was rife, and the notorious ‘Zulu Warriors’ were always sure to make their presence felt. Relationships with informants are described, and the author gives an inside view of the world of criminal intelligence, as well as explaining how, after much strife, police and criminals learnt to co-exist in the Midlands.’

Extract: ‘I had done my research: ‘Skinheads’ were the youngest age group but adopted intimidation tactics by virtue of the size of numbers that they could put out. Numbers fluctuated weekly depending on which football team was playing at home. They were responsible for most disturbances and offences of assault and minor robberies in the city centre. They rarely gathered for long in one place, and at the first sign of police action ran away, which it made it more difficult to make arrests. They frequented the ‘Crown’ in Hill Street and the Rail Bar on New Street Station as well as the Bull Ring Open Market and Edgbaston Street.

The ‘Punks’ were much smaller in numbers and did not cause a great deal of trouble. However due to their exhibitionist tendencies they tended to attract attention to themselves anyway. At times they aligned themselves with the skinheads and frequented the same areas of the city centre.

The ‘Mods’ were still emerging as a group identity and initially caused no major problems. In December 1979 they initially aligned themselves with ‘Skinheads’ but subsequently distanced themselves from them.

The ‘Teddy Boys’ were a group of about twenty-five seen every Saturday, together with a small number of females under sixteen years of age. On their own their numbers were not sufficient to cause serious trouble, however when grouped together with ‘Bikers’ they became much more aggressive.

Between 2pm and 5pm on Saturdays they could be found at either ‘The Hole in the Wall’ in Dale End, ‘The Golden Eagle’ in Hill Street, or ‘Bogarts’ in New Street. They also congregated around ‘Reddingtons Rare Record’ Shop in Moor Street Subway.

‘Reddingtons’ was a veritable institution for lovers of vinyl records who would spend hours browsing through box upon box of second-hand records looking for long lost classics. The business was owned by Dan Reddington who more than three decades later sold his entire remaining stock of 75,000 albums and singles for just ￡1 each.

The same group of ‘Bikers’ twenty-five strong were seen every Saturday. Numbers were sometimes swelled by groups from outside the city. Whilst they did not class themselves as ‘Hells Angels’ they sometimes operated on a similar ‘chapter’ system and were potentially capable of causing serious problems. Drink could play a contributory part in their behaviour.’

The Noble Cause https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MRELU3F/

‘The cover photograph depicts Police Constable 118 ‘a’ Thomas Wright. His imperious pose commemorates the awarding of a certificate for bravery on the Thirteenth of February 1911. He risked his life to protect others. In this case it was a runaway horse, and not an armed terrorist, but nevertheless his heroism encapsulated the core principle of policing – that of protecting others, their lives, their property, their society. The principles demonstrated by PC Wright remain at its heart to the present day - it’s why policing is in truth ‘The Noble Cause’. This is a ‘warts and all’ book about policing in the 1980’s and 1990’s, written by two former police officers who did ‘the job’ collectively for more than seventy years. Police officers see the worst of society, its inequalities, and injustice, and they sometimes have to confront pure evil and the lowest degradations of the human state. They have to face the horrors of murder, accidental death, suicide, domestic and child abuse, and sickening violence, to name just a few of the incidents described in the book. This book tracks the course of two very different career paths in Birmingham and Walsall, one in uniform, one in the CID, until they ultimately converge. Also included, and rarely ever described to the public, are training courses and organisational structures that lie behind the officer on the street, as well as recollections from other retired officers. The book serves as a window into the reality of policing and its trials and humour during that period. The incidents described occurred many years ago, but the basis of policing does not change, and the observations made are as valid today as they were then. Whether it is public-order policing, keeping a lid on the streets, working undercover, battling against drugs dealers, the reality of dealing with death and post - mortems, or the investigation of serious crimes, this book provides a unique insight into the reality of policing. A book for the curious, the nostalgic, the academic, the historian and the researcher. Totally factual and demonstrating the reality rather than the dramatic conflations shown on TV and film. The book also contains many stunning photographs of a Birmingham no longer in existence due to development.’

Extract: (Stephen Burrows): ‘I was woken by the jarring sound of the telephone ringing. Not a mobile by the bed – there were no mobiles - this phone was downstairs, and it was the ‘wee’ small hours of Tuesday 10 September 1985. I was in demand.

“Handsworth’s gone up,” said the voice, “Your course is cancelled, get yourself into Acocks Green as soon as you can.”

It was just four months since I had been involved in the riot at the Birmingham City versus Leeds match, and it seemed that disorder was stalking me. The previous day I had commenced my ‘PACE’ course. This was a week–long introduction to the recently enacted Police and Criminal Evidence Act which had changed every facet of prisoner handling, interviewing and evidence collection.

In fact, it was the last ‘PACE’ course being held, and everyone bar a few older in service ‘duckers and divers’ had been trained. I was by far the youngest in service on the course, and just about to complete my two years ‘Probation’.

I recount this fact because every able-bodied person on the course formed a public order ‘serial’ for the Handsworth riot and thus I ended up in a rattling Transit van with an interesting collection of characters of some service length, wise in the ways of policing. I watched and learnt.

Once assembled, we were sent to Thornhill Road Police Station, Handsworth, where we were hurriedly fed and sat around the yard by the van awaiting orders. We must have arrived at dawn because I can remember looking through the van window as we drove past Lozells Road and seeing the smoking ruins that looked just like pictures of the ‘Blitz’.

There had been a temporary lull in the disorder and many weary colleagues, who had been on duty since the previous evening, were going off duty, to be replaced by us. Their faces and the devastation in the streets made me realise that this was the most serious and potentially dangerous incident I had ever been part of.

This sight did not dampen the spirits of my colleagues though. There was a line of vehicles, public-order vans, dog-vans, and police cars, parked to one side of the yard at Thornhill Road, with their officer contents sat on the floor between the vehicles and the station wall. We were waiting for something to happen and inevitably boredom set in and the mischief making began.

This was the unfortunate moment for the local Superintendent to decide to hold a live press interview in the back yard on the other side of the vans.

The dog vans contained their complement of large German Shepherds, in the internal cages but with the rear van doors open to allow air to the dogs. Police dogs are not normally shy and retiring and these were no exception. They had produced the usual barrage of barking but had calmed down by the time the interview was to begin.

I imagine that the superintendent thought that the backdrop of vans and officers ready to deploy would be very good on the television.

Some of us had a view of the interview but the superintendent could not see everyone sat behind the vans. As the first question was asked it was drowned out by a cacophony of barking from the dog vans. Silence fell and they tried again, but as soon as the superintendent began to speak the barking erupted once more. What bad luck!

This went on for some time until the superintendent ordered the dogs to be removed, adding some choice language that I doubt made the television.

This decision was effective, stopping the barking which had in fact been caused by officers sat behind the dog vans rocking them with their feet, upon a signal from those who had sight of the interview. Classic police humour, relieving the tension and getting a ‘bite’ from a gaffer too. A win–win!

It must have been about 10am when our wait ended. We were told that trouble had started again and into the van we climbed. I can remember the superintendent coming to the open back doors of the van and wishing us luck. I can still recall the feeling. I was going into battle.

I already knew that people had died the previous night, two brothers Kassamali Moledina, aged thirty-eight-years, and his forty-four-year-old brother Amirali, were burnt to death in the post office that they ran, after they decided to remain in the premises to protect it from the mob. Tensions were high and there were reports that many troublemakers from outside of Handsworth were travelling to ‘have a go’ at the police and maybe do a spot of incidental looting.

We were deployed to Heathfield Road, in public-order attire and had shields and what were termed ‘NATO’ helmets. There were people around, but mostly they seemed to be older locals, Asian and Black, upset and bemused by what had happened to their community - and all very clear and unanimous that it had not been done in their names.

The Asians in particular, who owned most of the business in Handsworth, were incensed and vowing to mobilise as vigilantes to protect their livelihoods. Everyone blamed a small minority of black drugs-dealers and troublemakers who centred themselves around the ‘Acapulco Café’ in Lozells where the trouble had started.

I was on the streets of Handsworth for a week after the riots and spoke to many locals, and not even one blamed deprivation. In fact, most of those arrested came from outside of Handsworth…’

Walsall’s Front Line Vol I https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06Y18CZDF/

‘In 1997, West Midlands Police were facing huge challenges with rising crime and anti-social behaviour blighting the lives of thousands of people within communities who became victims of criminality. As a national debate raged about the need to take a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to crime, others argued for a problem solving approach and the preservation of the principles of policing by consent. Radical measures were called for, and in the spring of 1997, West Midlands Police was restructured into twenty-one ‘Operational Command Units’ with the specific aim of delivering local policing to local people. One of those command units became known as ‘H2’ and covered half of the Borough of Walsall situated in the ‘Black Country’. The areas of Darlaston, Willenhall, Bloxwich, and Brownhills, steeped in industrial history, also faced high levels of social deprivation, exacerbated by the scourge of heroin which took control of a number of people’s lives, turning some of them into lifestyle criminals. To face the challenges of drugs, arson attacks, violence, and anti-social behaviour, just two hundred and sixty-four regular police officers formed the ‘thin blue line’ to preserve the peace in a community of 142,273 people. This book is the story of how those police officers, supported by a small band of civilian support staff and special constables, set about trying to improve the lives of the vast majority of law-abiding people that lived and worked on the OCU, and tackled the hardened criminals and hooligans head on. Told through the eyes of two of the senior police officers responsible for bringing about drastic change and improved performance during the first twelve months of reorganisation, ‘Walsall’s Front Line’ provides a unique insight into the inner workings of the police. At the heart of policing is the issue of community safety, and this story measures the success of the few in trying to help the many, whilst dealing with deaths, domestic violence, disputes and disorder on a daily basis. The book also contains seventy photographs, many of which are previously unseen. Above all this book is about hope, and a philosophy that with the right support and direction small numbers of dedicated professionals can achieve great things.’

Extract: ‘Just after midday on Sunday 21 September, police were called to Davies House in Sandbank, Bloxwich, where they found Darren Steemson, aged twenty-nine years perched precariously on a wall on the roof of the eleven-storey building.

He was threatening to throw himself from the roof, and efforts by his mother Diane, who lived in the tower-block, to talk him down prior to police arrival had failed.

Sergeant Christopher Johnson took her and her husband to safety as other officers cordoned off the area. The officer was later commended for his actions.

Two trained police negotiators were called in and spent much of the day and night talking to Steemson as he sat with his legs dangling over the edge, wearing just jeans and a T-shirt, and wrapped in a red and white blanket.

Hundreds of people watched the drama unfold in the streets below, as the Fire Service also stood by….

At 3pm, officers visited a nearby house in Croxdene Avenue, in Bloxwich, where his wife, twenty-seven-year-old Angela Steemson was found dead in one of the bedrooms. A post-mortem examination revealed that the mother of three had died as a result of asphyxiation due to strangulation, using a curtain tie-back which was tied around her neck in a reef knot, almost like a decoration.

At 5am on Monday 22 September, an opportunity to grab the man presented itself and he was arrested after keeping police at bay for eighteen hours. He was examined by a Police Surgeon and detained until it was determined that he would be fit to be interviewed.’

Walsall’s Front Line Vol II https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1549847406/

A sequel to ‘Walsall’s Front Line-Volume I’ - this book provides true accounts of policing in parts of the Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands, over a twelve month period between 1998 and 1999. During a time of high-crime levels and a virtual epidemic in the use of heroin, it includes accounts from police officers, many of whom knew the area and its communities intimately. At one end of the scale it deals with serious crime cases, including an unusual murder where the only witness was a dog named ‘Benny’, to cases of anti-social behaviour by local disaffected youths. During a survey conducted by the Local Authority one such group detailed their favourite pastimes as ‘Drugs, Sex, and Stealing’ and listed their regular activities as ‘dossing and getting hassled by the police’. In an environment where one third of all children in Walsall had used cannabis by the age of sixteen years, a relatively small number of police officers and staff battled to maintain order and stability. Whilst this illustrated book is a historical record of policing in one small corner of the ‘Black Country’ at the time, it also seeks to demonstrate the human nature of the job coupled with a reality of what could be achieved. It was a relentless exercise – often sad and challenging, but routinely fun and hugely rewarding. This is a book for those interested in the reality of policing and crime, coupled with a big dose of nostalgia as the cars, fashions and attitudes of the late 'nineties' live again in the accounts contained within. At times the ‘thin blue line’ was stretched to capacity – but it never once broke!

Extract: ‘At 4pm on Sunday 12th April police officers were called to Marklew Close, on the Friezland Lane Estate Brownhills, where a forty-two-year-old man, Michael Fern, was found lying in a pool of blood with fatal stab wounds. The divorced father of a seven-year-old daughter was found dead in his ground-floor flat and had also suffered head injuries.

Neighbours raised the alarm after they found Mr. Fern’s dog ‘Benny’ wandering around injured outside the flats where his owner lived, in a quiet cul-de-sac. The black and white cross-bred collie dog was taken to a Brownhills veterinary surgery for treatment.

Neighbours had described Fern to the media as ‘a bit of a loner and a bit of a boozer’.

His local pub was ‘The Wheel’ in nearby Lindon Road, where locals claimed not to have seen him since the previous Friday when he was seen walking his dog…’

One In for D & D https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1916168086/

‘Evening all’- a police saying invented by television, spoken by the archetypal British policeman, P.C. George Dixon. But it’s not in this book, because it isn’t real. Instead, you’ll find ‘Sarbut’ inside? Is that a ‘who’ or a ‘what’? And what are ‘Appointments’ because you won’t find them in a diary. Why would you call someone ‘Bungalow’? And who are the ‘Donkey Wallopers’? What does ‘All correct sir’ mean, and is ‘Carry on sir’ straight out of a film? Find the answers in this light-hearted little book, which is essential ‘Brummie’ reading and lifts the lid on the strange phenomena of ‘police humour’. This book explores more than five hundred phrases, abbreviations, and nicknames, spoken by the police in the West Midlands over many decades. The nature of policing, with its adherence to rules and regulations, as well as procedures and the rule of law, implies that formality must be the norm. These principles can be evidenced no more clearly than by the tenets of the role of a police officer, which are enshrined within the ‘DNA’ of every member on joining the service, and defined as follows: ‘A Constable is a citizen, locally appointed, but having authority under the Crown, for the protection of life and property, the maintenance of order, the prevention and detection of crime and the prosecution of offenders against the Peace.’ Notwithstanding the formalities that must be adhered to when working in an operational environment, the police service, in keeping with many other occupations, has developed its own sub-language and culture, which has been transformed and added to over the decades. The authors of this little book were born in Birmingham, and worked in the police in the City and wider West Midlands during their extensive service spanning more than seventy years. Having already explored the use of so-called ‘Brummie’ slang words in a previous book, ‘Ta-ra-a-Bit, Our Kid’, they have now taken a light-hearted look at the routine use of slang, abbreviations and nicknames in the police service in the West Midlands, assisted by the memories of more than fifty colleagues, both serving and retired. ‘Black Humour’ is a facet of police culture and in truth it is also one of the many ‘coping mechanisms’ which enable human beings to function in a job which can be hugely stressful, often unpredictable and violent, as well as routinely challenging. Many of the slang phrases embrace an element of ‘darkness’ but rarely are, or were intended to be, malicious or negative. In an environment where most give ‘as good as they get’ the word ‘banter’ is quite commonly heard. Nowadays some of the content would be deemed culturally unacceptable, but the book represents a piece of social history, and the language represents the culture of its time. As such the authors did not feel that it would be right to apply today’s values to the past. For simplicity, this collection of over five hundred phrases and abbreviations is presented in alphabetical order, using of course the phonetic alphabet, still routinely employed by officers and police staff to this day. Above all the book demonstrates that even police officers have a great but ‘different’ sense of humour!’

Proud To Serve https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1858587255/

‘‘Proud to Serve’ chronicles the journey of one police officer between 1999 and 2004 as he worked with key community influencers and colleagues to tackle the challenges of policing diverse communities. Whether working to recruit more black and minority ethnic staff into the West Midlands Police, engaging with counterparts in India and the UK to tackle 'Forced Marriages' or simply making communities safer in Cyprus this illustrated book straddles continents as that journey unfolds. It contains recollections including from Paul Lewin, founding chair of the West Midlands Black Police Association who said of his work, 'Our legacy has been about learning from the past, living in the present in order to build and improve for the future. I am proud that we did our best. Ultimately, this will be for others to judge'. Michael Layton concludes, 'From Willenhall in the Black Country to Delhi and the Punjab, and finally Cyprus - was the journey worth it - of course it was!'

Extract: ‘On 30th March 2000 an official visit took place at Willenhall Police Station from Dr. Kiran Bedi, Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police, Indian Police Service (IPS), as part of H2’s efforts to raise the profile of diversity in the area.

Dr. Bedi was, and remains to this day, a figure of international standing who became the first woman police officer in the Indian Police Service in 1972. She is the holder of the Police Gallantry Medal and the ‘Ramon Magsaysay Award’ which is equivalent to the Nobel Prize in India.

She was born in Amritsar, Punjab in 1949 and has a Bachelor’s in English from the Government College for Women in Amritsar, a master’s degree in political science from Punjab University, a Law Degree from the University of Delhi, and a Doctorate in Social Sciences from the Institute of Science, Delhi. She is also a former all-India and all-Asian tennis champion, having won the Asian Ladies title at the age of twenty-two years.

Dr. Bedi has worked in many aspects of policing in India but is particularly well-known for her reforming work as Head of Tihar Prison, the largest in Asia, where she worked tirelessly to change the conditions of the prisoners, especially its women inmates. She laid the groundwork for introducing detoxification programmes, improved nutrition and sanitation, literacy and language classes taught by prisoners, yoga, prayer and meditation, legal advocacy by prisoners who were lawyers, and tree planting to create a ‘green zone’ in the prison. An atmosphere of mutual trust and respect developed when the prisoners saw that they were able to air their grievances without being punished…’

#books #westmidlands #police #history #culture #truestories #WMP #football #gangs#Birmingham #Walsall #Wolverhampton #Coventry #diversity #slang #sayings Police Now West Midlands Police Birmingham City University 英国阿斯顿大学 Prof. Carl Chinn MBE

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