West Yorkshire Police


West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing West Yorkshire in England. It is the fourth largest force in England and Wales by number of officers, with 5,671 officers.

History

West Yorkshire Police was formed in 1974, when part of the West Yorkshire Constabulary 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 counties were abolished.
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. These plans are currently under review and not expected to take place in the foreseeable future.
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.

Operational structure

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 and Bradford so that each policing district was conterminous with its respective local authority boundaries. Each district is made up of Partnership Working Areas 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.
The five existing divisions with their divisional identifiers and their divisional commander are as follows:
IdentifierDistrictPartnership Working AreasDistrict CommanderDistrict HQ
LDLeedsCity, Inner East, Inner North East, Inner North West, Inner South, Inner West, Outer East, Outer North East, Outer North West, Outer South, Outer WestChief Superintendent Steve CotterElland Road Police Station, Beeston
BDBradfordBradford East, Bradford South, Bradford West, City, Keighley, ShipleyChief Superintendent Osman KhanTrafalgar House Police Station, Bradford
WDWakefieldCastleford, Normanton and Featherstone, Pontefract and Knottingley, South East, Wakefield Central, Wakefield North West, Wakefield RuralChief Superintendent Paul HepworthHavertop Lane Police Station, Normanton
KDKirkleesBatley and Spen, Dewsbury and Mirfield, Huddersfield, RuralChief Superintendent Julie SykesHuddersfield Police Station
CDCalderdaleHalifax Centre, Halifax North, Halifax West, Valley North, Valley North East, Valley South, Valley South East, Valley WestChief Superintendent Dickie WhiteheadHalifax Police Station

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 houses the Yorkshire and The Humber Scientific Support Service and was opened in May 2012 by Sir Alec Jeffreys himself. West Yorkshire Police is the 'lead force' for scientific support and provides such services for North Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police and Humberside Police.

Changing estate of West Yorkshire Police

The current estate of police stations and other buildings is changing with certain buildings closing and new buildings opening. As of 2014 there are three PFI projects completed and as a result of these new buildings a number of police stations have closed and been sold.

Wakefield District Headquarters

Wakefield District police headquarters is now located on Havertop Lane, Normanton. The total area is 11,500 metres squared and provides office accommodation as well as a 35-cell custody suite. As it's now operational, the following Police stations are in the process of being closed and/or sold.
The new headquarters for the newly formed Leeds District is operational on Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds. The total area is 12,500 metres squared and provides office accommodation as well as a 40-cell custody suite. Now operational, the Leeds District HQ will replace the following stations:
The existing Operational Support facilities at Carr Gate, Wakefield have been expanded and new buildings constructed which has centralised specialist training for the force in one location. The new facility, which totals 20,000 metres squared includes the following:

List of Chief Constables

;West Riding Constabulary
;West Yorkshire Constabulary
;West Yorkshire Police
The most recent change to the divisional structure was the reduction from eight policing divisions to five policing districts. The table below shows the divisional structure from 2008 – 2014.
IdentifierDivisionStationsArea coveredDivisional Commander
AANorth West LeedsWeetwood, Pudsey, Woodhouse Lane ' & Otleycovering North and West LeedsChief Superintendent David Oldroyd
BANorth East LeedsStainbeck, Killingbeck, Wetherby & Garforthcovering North and East Leeds, Wetherby, Boston Spa, Garforth, Methley and MicklefieldSuperintendent Martin Snowden
CACity & HolbeckHolbeck, Millgarth ', Morley & Rothwellcovering Central and South LeedsChief Superintendent Paul Money
DAWakefieldWood Street ', Pontefract, Normanton, Castleford & South Kirkbycovering the Wakefield Metropolitan District areaChief Superintendent Andy Battle
EAKirkleesHuddersfield, Dewsbury & Holmfirthcovering the Kirklees Metropolitan District areaChief Superintendent Steve Cotter
FACalderdaleHalifax, Brighouse & Todmordencovering the Calderdale Metropolitan District areaChief Superintendent Chris Hardern
GABradford SouthTrafalgar House & Manningham 'covering Central and South BradfordChief Superintendent Simon Atkin
HAAiredale & North BradfordKeighley, Ilkley, Shipley & Eccleshillcovering North Bradford and KeighleyChief Superintendent Angela Williams

From the mid-1990s, there were seventeen geographical divisions within West Yorkshire Police; however from 2000 onwards the number of divisions decreased as the move towards aligning police divisions with local council wards was implemented.

The grid below outlines the mergers of the former divisions to the eight operational divisions which ceased in April 2014.

Notable cases

The Police Memorial Trust lists and commemorates all British police officers killed in the line of duty, and since its establishment in 1984 has erected over 38 memorials 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: