The next small blog in our latest series whilst continuing to research the next book ‘Reporting For Duty’ – ‘In October 1980 a dispute involving officers from the Prison Service resulted in police cell-blocks around the West Midlands being used to house remand prisoners. In particular many were held in the Central Lock-Up next to Steelhouse Lane, in Birmingham city-centre. The action continued until the end of the year. In May the following year the dispute reared its head again when remand prisoners again found themselves in police cells for up to ten days.’ As a result of previous appeals we now have more than twenty recollections going into the book from people with memories of policing in the West Midlands between 1974 and 1999. We would of course welcome many more! (the picture features co-author Steve Burrows in the basement of the Lock-Up during an open-day – the facility is no longer in operational use.)

Today’s post from this latest little series is a bit of mixed bag. Many thanks to those who contributed memories of the ‘Battle of Digbeth’. The memories of Digbeth Police Station were also great – another book in its own right for someone to get their teeth into perhaps! ‘Reporting For Duty’ already contains some great memories and its only six weeks in the making. (It will cover the WMP Force History for the period 1974 to 1999) – ‘In January 1980 a march to commemorate ‘Bloody Sunday’ in Northern Ireland commenced in Sparkhill and terminated in Birmingham City-Centre at the Bull Ring. Seventeen arrests were made as outbreaks of disorder took place along the route. Eight hundred officers were on duty.’ Also in 1980 thirty West Midlands Officers, along with another fifty from across the UK went to Rhodesia (later to become Zimbabwe) to monitor the elections. In 1980 a total of 1,104 West Midlands Police Officers were assaulted with 558 classed as being serious and included two cases classed as attempted murder. We would like to hear from anyone with recollections please of these historical events, which will help to bring them to life. (The picture outside Woolworth’s in the Bull Ring is from social media and the ‘F’ Division pictures from an old Force newspaper – they have been on Deb Menzel’s pages before but bring back brilliant memories of colleagues, some of whom are no longer with us but will not be forgotten.

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The next in our latest series of blog posts. If you get a few moments please have a look at some of our earlier ones on police slang etc in ‘How Policing Has Changed’. We are currently researching our latest book ‘Reporting For Duty’ which will cover the history of the West Midlands Police from 1974 to 1999 – ‘On the 28th April 1979 a National Front election meeting took place at Cronehills Primary School in West Bromwich. On the same day Enoch Powell MP gave a speech at a public meeting in Birmingham city-centre and the ‘rock against racism’ movement held a torch-light procession in the evening. All police leave in the Force was cancelled on the day. At West Bromwich twenty-seven arrests were made during clashes with protesters.’ We would be interested in hearing recollections from anyone involved with these demonstrations on this date.

The next post in our latest series – we are currently researching for another book called ‘Reporting For Duty’ – ‘On the 18th February 1978 a meeting of the Young National Front took place at Digbeth Civic Hall, in Birmingham city-centre.Up to 5,000 anti-National Front Demonstrators tried to breach police cordons to confront the NF. During the disturbances which followed eleven police officers were injured and a police helicopter equipped with close circuit television was used for the first time in the West Midlands.’ We are interested in hearing from retired officers who were at the demonstration as well as anyone with experiences to recount of policing in the West Midlands between 1974 to 1999. (The picture is of nearby Digbeth Police Station – courtesy of Deb Menzel) Mike Layton worked at Digbeth during his career. On the top floor were some single-men’s quarters, and the middle floor housed offices. On the left of the building was the cell block which played host to many a city-centre drunk, in the middle the parade room and to the right the front office and radio controllers office. A great place to work and full of character!

The second post in our next little series which relates to a new book we are conducting research on. ‘On the 15th August 1977 a political meeting was held by the National Front at Boulton Road School in Ladywood in connection with a bi-election. Members of the Socialist Workers Party staged a protest demonstration. In the violence that followed fifty-eight of the four hundred West Midlands Police officers on duty were injured. One officer Sue Bailey was hailed as a hero as she protected an injured colleague from missiles as she turned herself into a human shield.’ We are looking for recollections from anyone who was present at this demonstration and also any policing recollections or photographs for the period 1974 to 1999.

The first in a little series of posts containing some historical content with a plea for some help!! Our latest project is a book called ‘Reporting For Duty’which is already well underway in terms of written content. It will chart the history of the West Midlands Police from 1974 to 1999. In keeping with our other books we want to include a strong element of recollections from people with first-hand knowledge of some of the events we are going to cover. Any submissions will of course be credited in the book to the individual. Today’s plea – ‘On the 15th May 1976 a demonstration took place outside HM Prison Winson Green in Birmingham in support of Robert Relf who had been jailed for contempt of court. He was the first person to be jailed under the Race Relations act for refusing to take down a ‘for sale’ sign’ from outside his house which read ‘Viewing. To avoid animosity all round positively no coloureds’ In what was to become known as the ‘Battle of Winson Green’ police officers found themselves fighting to keep rival factions of the National Front and Anti-Fascist Committee apart. Sixty-nine officers were injured and twenty-eight arrests made.’ Please get in touch if you can recall the incident. On a wider note we are looking for non-copyrighted photos of that twenty-five year period which could add some depth to the written commentary.

We often refer to the phrase ‘football violence’ but of course I don’t think anyone has ever seen a football being violent. Nowadays people often refer to the fact that violent acts linked to football matches have largely disappeared. It is certainly true that this is no longer the 70s and 80s when, before the advent of CCTV and banning orders, organised gangs of hooligans were ever-present. My assertion however is that whilst the problem has decreased dramatically the very sizeable minority who like to get involved in violence are still around. Police tactics have changed over the years and policing priorities have changed as they try to meet changing demands with fewer officers, whilst at the same time the Government don’t identify it as an issue and media reports of incidents are fewer. My question is will the current rise in right-wing activity nurture more problems on the terraces, and on the railway networks.

and in town-centres as groups become better organised?

Factual accounts of policing in parts of Walsall between 1997 and 1999 – newspaper cuttings courtesy of the Express and Star.

A second year of crime-fighting

Clashes on and off the pitch in 1976 between two real teams – Birmingham City and Aston Villa and two fictitious hooligan teams battling for supremacy. The third team was the police – who were eventually crowned as champions ? The sequel to ‘Black Over Bill’s Mother’s’  brings back the character of Birmingham-based detective Rob Docker – not someone that you would like to meet under any circumstances and certainly someone you would never forget if you were on the wrong side of the law. (newspaper clips from the Evening Mail & Sunday Mercury).

Whenever we post this title there is a debate over who lays legitimate claim to the phrase. Our take is that Bill’s mother was the mother of William Shakespeare and that Brummies used to look towards Stratford Upon Avon and use the phrase to indicate that a storm was coming. If you like a ‘big’ book with a huge story-line that spans history over a fifty year period, more murders than you have fingers on your hands and eventually returns to Birmingham for the violent climax you will enjoy this. There are no winners in this book and no heroes. The book has 54 very positive reviews and some who have read it have commented on how they found themselves loving and hating the main characters at various stages. Not for the faint-hearted it deals with violence, terrorism and corruption but without being gratuitous. It would make for a great film very much in the context of the next generation of ‘Peaky Blinders’

An epic family saga covering seven decades