Happy memories of county's disappeared police force
Fifty years ago Shropshire Constabulary passed into history. And a group of retired police officers decided they could not let the date pass without marking it in some way.
Now they have held a special lunch for officers serving at the time that Shropshire Constabulary joined forces with three others to become West Mercia Police.
The West Mercia force came into existence on October 1, 1967, with the amalgamation of the old Shropshire, Hereford County, Worcester City and Worcester County forces.
The lunch was held at The Wroxeter Hotel near Shrewsbury and was attended by 79 people, including 48 former Shropshire Constabulary officers.
Retired West Mercia Superintendent Jim Ashley, who lives near Whitchurch and is a member of the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO), said the event was not so much about marking 50 years of West Mercia but more about those officers who were serving in Shropshire at the time of the merger.
“Amalgamation was a big thing for the four police forces at that time and as the 50th anniversary approached we discovered that no one up this end in Shropshire was planning anything, so I kickstarted it, advertised it and the result was a get-together at The Wroxeter Hotel,” he said.
“Those were very different times for policing and so much has changed since then. I would say the biggest difference has been technology - communication, the introduction of personal radios, the changes in forensic examination and so on.
“It sounds incredible now but back in those pre-West Mercia days we had blue community police posts and had a key to get to the phone inside to speak to our headquarters and them to us.
“Alternatively, in some areas of Shrewsbury we had Tardis-type boxes where you could go in and sit down, have access to the phone and update your notebook. Later we had personal radios which came in two parts - a receiver and transmitter.
“The receiver was slipped onto the inside of the top of your tunic so you could hear the messages and you kept the transmitter part in your pocket until you needed it. They were both bigger and more bulkier than today’s smartphones and sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t.
“Forensics changes were another eye-opener and the introduction of DNA testing was revolutionary - it was like something out of science fiction, but what amazing advances it has produced for police forces and bringing criminals to justice.
“The actual merger of the forces went generally very well, although there were some dyed-in-the-wool people who didn’t particularly like the idea of losing the individual identity of forces and linking up with those from other areas.
“If you joined the county force before West Mercia, as long as you remained at the same rank, you could not be transferred out of Shropshire without agreeing to it. That changed on accepting promotion and, of course, anyone joining West Mercia could be moved anywhere in the force area.”
Mr Ashley said the local branch of NARPO has a meal quarterly at The Wroxeter where retired former colleagues can meet up for something to eat and a chat and generally reminisce about the old days.
“I spoke to The Wroxeter about the 50th anniversary and asked if they had anything booked in on October 1 because that was the day of the merger and the most appropriate for us to mark it. They said they had a wedding on but would be happy to accommodate us,” he added.
“There was a meal, a slideshow of old pictures was played while we ate and it turned out to be a great day. I have a number of old photographs and it was nice that some people were able to fill in some of the blanks with names
“I actually have photographs taken of staff at Shrewsbury and Market Drayton Police Stations on October 1, 1967. I don’t think anyone else really did that locally.
“We welcomed 79 people to our lunch, 48 ex-police officers, their wives and partners and a couple of carers. It proved so popular that 14 new visitors from that reunion have said they would like to come along to our Christmas lunch.
“I did mention about fixing a date for the next 50 years celebration - but I fear someone else will have to arrange that!”
NARPO’s headquarters are in Wakefield and there are branches among current forces and those that have been swallowed up with amalgamation all over the country.
Mr Ashley, who retired in 1993, said it was always nice to meet up for a meal and a natter and lunches at The Wroxeter regularly attracted between 50 and 120 people for their quarterly get-togethers.
“We are always keen to hear from ex-officers who would like to join us and, of course, these days that’s much more about those who served in West Mercia as our original Shropshire Constabulary numbers are dwindling,” he added.
“Our next lunch is on December 3 at The Wroxeter and if any retired police officer would like more information or to come along then I would ask them to email me on jimnjude@uwclub.net or give me a call on 07763 108730.”
