I spent a fantastic morning with West Midlands Police as part of my role as High Sheriff of the West Midlands. I toured the site C3 which is tactical command, control and coordination centre with Superintendent Paul Minor. This purpose built unit was originally constructed for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and now houses many essential and different operations of the West Midlands Police.
During my tour I met so many outstanding dedicated police officers who demonstrated their skill sets to me. I began with a look round the Operational Support Unit and was amazed at how many different vehicles (including boats and vans) they have to keep to deal situations in keeping public order including searches and methods of entry. Next up I met with the Armed Response Unit who went through all the different parts of their operation and showed me all the different things they carry on board their vehicles. Their ongoing training is remarkable and these officers are equipped to deal with such a variety of sensitive situations and dangerous incidents. I then met the Dog Handling unit whose passion for their dogs shone through. I was given a demonstration of how sniffer dogs are deployed and finished with a dog chasing a get away criminal on foot. The power and sublime speed of the dog was evident as was their training. No human being could ever out run one of these dogs. Lastly I was shown how drones are used and how effective they are in many different ways. Drones are playing such an important part in the work of the police and their use will only increase and are absolutely the future in deploying technology to capture criminals.
After these different demonstrations we headed inside and looked at the whole process when 999 and 101 calls are made. Typically they are receiving over 3000+ calls a day across the seven boroughs of the West Midlands and have a hub of over 60 call handlers and despatchers who are so important to ensure the level of incident is policed correctly. My visit gave me a real insight into the operations of running a modern and progressive police force. I was particularly struck by the dedication, passion and expertise of the officers I met and their selfless commitment to making the West Midlands a safer place. Thank you for all you do West Midlands Police.
