West Yorkshire Police | |
---|---|
Motto | In the Public Service |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1974 |
Preceding agencies | |
Employees | 9,853 |
Volunteers | 403 [1] |
Annual budget | £396.0 million [1] |
Legal personality | Police force |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction | West Yorkshire, England |
Map of West Yorkshire Police's jurisdiction | |
Size | 2,029 square kilometres (783 sq mi) |
Population | 2,108,000 |
Legal jurisdiction | England & Wales |
Constituting instrument | |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Overseen by | |
Headquarters | Wakefield |
Constables | 4,569 (including 72 Special Constables) [2] |
Police Community Support Officers | 689 [2] |
Mayor responsible | |
Agency executive |
|
Divisions | 5 |
Facilities | |
Stations | 41 |
Website | |
www |
West Yorkshire Police, formerly the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers.
West Yorkshire Police was formed in 1974, when part of the West Yorkshire Constabulary (itself created in 1968, and covering a much larger area) was amalgamated with the Leeds City Police and Bradford City Police, under the Local Government Act 1972. The force was originally known as the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police. Some older signs around the Force area, such as the one in the reception of Millgarth Police Station in Leeds city centre, read 'West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police'. The 'Metropolitan' from the police title was dropped in 1986 when the metropolitan county councils were abolished. [3] [4] Proposals made by the Home Secretary on 21 March 2006 would see the force merge with North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police to form a strategic police force for the entire region. This did not take place.
On 12 December 2006, Sir Norman Bettison was announced as the new chief constable, replacing Colin Cramphorn and resigned from his post on 24 October 2012. He was replaced by Temporary Chief Constable John Parkinson until the appointment of Mark Gilmore as chief constable on 1 February 2013.
In 2018, it was reckoned West Yorkshire Police would lose 400 officers from its 4,800 officers due to austerity. [5] In August 2023, the West Yorkshire Police attracted controversy when they arrested an autistic 16-year-old girl in Leeds for telling a female police officer that she looked like her 'lesbian nana' while in her own home. [6] [7]
For operational purposes West Yorkshire Police is divided into five geographic divisions known within the force as ‘policing districts’. The change in nomenclature reflects that of April 2014 the alignment with council boundaries for policing districts and the reduction of divisions in Leeds (which had three) and Bradford (which had two) so that each policing district was conterminous with its respective local authority boundaries. Each district is made up of Partnership Working Areas (PWA) which consist of an Inspector and three teams of sergeants, police constables, special constables and PCSOs. The first single police commander of the Bradford district, Chief Superintendent Simon Atkin, was appointed in October 2013 as part of ongoing moves to merge the district’s two policing divisions, while Chief Superintendent Angela Williams was appointed in Calderdale. [8]
The five existing divisions with their divisional identifiers are as follows:
Identifier | District | Partnership Working Areas | District HQ |
---|---|---|---|
LD | Leeds | City, Inner East, Inner North East, Inner North West, Inner South, Inner West, Outer East, Outer North East, Outer North West, Outer South, Outer West | Elland Road Police Station, Beeston [9] |
BD | Bradford | Bradford East, Bradford South, Bradford West, City, Keighley, Shipley | Trafalgar House Police Station, Bradford [10] |
WD | Wakefield | Castleford, Normanton and Featherstone, Pontefract and Knottingley, South East, Wakefield Central, Wakefield North West, Wakefield Rural | Havertop Lane Police Station, Normanton [11] |
KD | Kirklees | Batley and Spen, Dewsbury and Mirfield, Huddersfield, Rural | Huddersfield Police Station [12] |
CD | Calderdale | Halifax Centre, Halifax North, Halifax West, Valley North, Valley North East, Valley South, Valley South East, Valley West | Halifax Police Station [13] |
The force headquarters is situated on Laburnum Road to the north of Wakefield city centre along with the Learning and Development Centre and specialist operations facility at Carr Gate, Wakefield at Junction 41 of the M1 motorway.
The Sir Alec Jeffreys Building in the Calder Park Business Estate (at Junction 39 of the M1 motorway) houses the Yorkshire and The Humber Scientific Support Service and was opened in May 2012 by Sir Alec Jeffreys himself. [14] West Yorkshire Police is the 'lead force' for scientific support and provides such services for North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police. [15]
The current estate of police stations and other buildings is changing with certain buildings closing and new buildings opening. As of 2014 [update] , there are three PFI projects completed and as a result of these new buildings a number of police stations have closed and been sold. [16]
Wakefield district police headquarters is now located on Havertop Lane, Normanton. The total area is 11,500 m2 (124,000 square feet) and provides office accommodation as well as a 35-cell custody suite. [3] As a result of its construction, police stations in Wood Street, Wakefield, [17] Normanton, [18] and Castleford were closed. [19]
The new headquarters for the newly formed Leeds district is operational on Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds. The total area is 12,500 m2 (135,000 square feet) and provides office accommodation as well as a 40-cell custody suite. [3] It replaced Millgarth, [20] and Holbeck police stations in Leeds. [21]
The existing operational support facilities at Carr Gate, Wakefield were expanded and new buildings constructed which provide centralised specialist training for the force in one location. The new facility, which totals 20,000 m2 (220,000 square feet) includes:
From November 2012 until May 2021, the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner was Mark Burns-Williamson. In 2021, his role was abolished when Tracy Brabin was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire and assumed responsibility for the force. [25] [26]
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) conducts a periodic police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection of each police service's performance. In its latest PEEL inspection, West Yorkshire Police was rated as follows: [27]
Outstanding | Good | Adequate | Requires Improvement | Inadequate | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 rating |
|
|
|
The Police Roll of Honour Trust and Police Memorial Trust list and commemorate all British police officers killed in the line of duty. Since its establishment in 1984, the Police Memorial Trust has erected 50 memorials nationally to some of those officers.
Since 1900, the following officers of West Yorkshire Police are listed by the Trust as having died during the course of their duties in attempting to prevent, stop or solve a criminal act: [29]
|
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, and Lancashire to the west. The city of Leeds is the largest settlement.
Elland is a market town in Calderdale, in the county of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated south of Halifax, by the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation. Elland was recorded as Elant in the Domesday Book of 1086. It had a population in 2001 of 14,554, with the ward being measured at 11,676 in the 2011 Census.
Police ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships in police organisations. The rank system defines authority and responsibility in a police organisation, and affects the culture within the police force. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms.
Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the five unitary authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, all in South West England.
Cumbria Constabulary is the territorial police force in England covering the unitary authority areas of Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness in the ceremonial county of Cumbria. As of September 2017, the force had 1,108 police officers, 535 police staff, 93 police community support officers, and 86 special constables.
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston. As of September 2020, the force has 3,088 police officers, 190 special constables, and 280 police community support officers (PCSO), 300 police support volunteers (PSV), and 2,287 staff.
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the council areas of County Durham and Darlington in North East England. It does not cover all of the ceremonial or historic area of Durham, parts of which are covered by the neighbouring forces of Cleveland Police and Northumbria Police. The other neighbouring forces are Cumbria Constabulary to the west and North Yorkshire Police to the south.
Humberside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing The East Riding of Yorkshire including Hull and northern parts of Lincolnshire including Grimsby and Scunthorpe.
South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is the territorial police force responsible for policing South Yorkshire in England. The force is led by Chief Constable Lauren Poultney. Oversight is conducted by Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Billings.
North Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force covering the unitary authorities of North Yorkshire and the City of York in northern England. As of April 2024 the force had a strength of 1,665 police officers, 127 special constables, 192 PCSOs and 1,072 police staff. Of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, the force has the 3rd largest geographic area of responsibility whilst being the 15th smallest force in terms of police officer numbers.
Suffolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England. The force serves a population of 761,000 in a mostly rural area of 1,466 square miles, including 49 miles of coastline and the Southern part of the Broads National Park. Headquartered in Martlesham, Suffolk is responsible for Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bury St Edmunds and Felixstowe. As of March 2023, the force has a strength of approximately 1,399 police officers, 116 special constables, 917 police staff/designated officers, 33 PCSO's and 123 police support volunteers. The Chief Constable is currently Rachel Kearton, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore (Conservative).
Wiltshire Police, formerly known as Wiltshire Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Wiltshire in South West England.
The West Yorkshire Constabulary (WYC) was, from 1968 to 1974, the statutory police force for the West Riding of Yorkshire, in northern England.
The Bradford City Police was the municipal police force of the city of Bradford,Yorkshire, England, UK.
The Police Act 1964 (c.48) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that updated the legislation governing police forces in England and Wales, constituted new police authorities, gave the Home Secretary new powers to supervise local constabularies, and allowed for the amalgamation of existing forces into more efficient units.
The West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) is the county-wide, statutory emergency fire and rescue service for the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is administered by a joint authority of 22 people who are appointed annually from the five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire, known as the Fire & Rescue Authority.
Police Scotland, officially the Police Service of Scotland, is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist services of the Scottish Police Services Authority, including the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency. Although not formally absorbing it, the merger also resulted in the winding up of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.
Wakefield City Police was the police force for the city of Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England between the years of 1848 and 1968.
Sir Colin Sampson, was a British police officer who held several senior police posts in the last decades of the 20th century.