Northumbria Police

Northumbria Police is the territorial police service responsible for policing the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear (comprised of the metropolitian boroughs of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland), as well as the ceremonial county of Northumberland. It is the largest police service in North East England by both geographical jurisdiction and officer numbers. The service’s area is bordered by the jurisdictions of Durham Constabulary to the south, Cumbria Police to the west and Police Scotland to the north.

Northumbria Police
Badge of the Northumbria Police
MottoProud to protect
Agency overview
Formed1974
Legal personalityPolice force
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionNewcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Northumberland
Map of Northumbria Police's jurisdiction.
Size5,551 km²
Population1,420,400
Operational structure
HeadquartersMiddle Engine Lane, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 9NT
Police Officers3,280 (including 125 Special Constables)
Police staff and PCSOs1,853 (1,649 police staff and 204 PCSOs)
Police and Crime Commissioner responsible
Agency executive
Area Commands3
Facilities
Stations25
Website
www.northumbria.police.uk

Organisation
Northumbria Police Ford Ranger, in service at Newcastle Airport

In terms of police officer numbers, Northumbria Police is the nineth largest police force in England and Wales with 3,155 police officers, 125 special constables, 204 police community support officers and 1,649 police staff (as of 2020).[1] The force is also the nineth largest force in terms of geographic area of responsibility of the 43 territorial forces of England and Wales. The force headquarters are located at Middle Engine lane in Wallsend, North Tyneside. However, significant numbers of functions have been dispersed to various locations throughout the force area as part of plans to reduce costs, with the stated intention of operating without a traditional headquarters function.[2] As of February 2018, the acting Chief Constable is Winton Keenen, whose appointment became effective in October 2017.[3] Former chief constables include Sir Stanley Bailey (1975–1991); John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington (1991–1996); Crispian Strachan CBE (1998–2005), Mike Craik (2005–2010), Sue Sim (2010–2015, including a period as temporary chief constable) and Steve Ashman (2015–2017).

Organisational history

The force was formed in 1974 and was a merger of the old Northumberland Constabulary along with part of the Durham Constabulary. The police forces for the county boroughs of South Shields, Gateshead, Sunderland, Newcastle upon Tyne and Tynemouth had already been amalgamated into their respective county forces in 1969, with the Berwick-upon-Tweed police having been merged into Northumberland County Constabulary in 1921.[4]

Under proposals made by the Home Secretary on 6 February 2006, Northumbria was to merge with Cleveland Police and Durham Constabulary to form a single strategic police force for North East England. Both Northumbria and Durham favoured this proposal, while Cleveland expressed a wish that it be merged with the southern area of the Durham force.[5][6] All proposals regarding force mergers were subsequently dropped nationwide.

Major Operations

Raoul Moat manhunt

In July 2010, after Raoul Moat's release from prison, Moat shot three people (including an unarmed police officer) and conducted several armed robberies. He threatened to continue to target police officers and consequently, one of the largest ever British police manhunts was initiated by Northumbria Police. A total of 160 armed officers were deployed in the manhunt for Moat, which represented approximately 10% of armed officers available in the country at any one time in 2010.[7] These extra armed officers were drafted in from the Durham Constabulary, Cleveland Police, Cumbria Police, West Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Police, Humberside Police, Greater Manchester Police, the Metropolitan Police, Strathclyde Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Moreover, additional unarmed officers were brought in from almost every police force in the country.[8] Furthermore, the Ministry of Defence confirmed a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4, fitted with a RAPTOR reconnaissance pod, was deployed to do night-time sweeps with an infrared camera during the search.[9] Some armed officers were also posted outside schools after police announced that they believed Moat posed a threat to the wider public.

During the manhunt, Northumbria Police requested a news blackout, under the terms of an agreement between the Association of Chief Police Officers and the media, about Moat's personal life as they believed such coverage would provoke him to kill more people.[10] This followed the discovery of a dictaphone in Moat's tent near Wagtail Farm, which contained a four-hour-long message to the police which revealed Moat had been following the media coverage in newspapers and had been "upset" by some of the negative articles written about him.

The manhunt concluded seven days after it began, with an confrontation between Moat and armed police officers which resulted in Moat committing suicide after he was ineffectively shot by West Yorkshire police officers using a Taser shotgun in the early stages of testing.

Operation Sanctuary

In January 2014, Northumbria Police launched Operation Sanctuary to investigate sexual abuse gangs targeting vulnerable young white girls.[11] By June 2014, the operation had identified 80 victims and the number of arrests had reached 104.[11]

Chief Officer team

As of October 2020, the Chief Officer team consists of the following:[12]

  • Chief Constable – Winton Keenen
  • Deputy Chief Constable – Debbie Ford
  • Assistant Chief Constable – Rachel Bacon
  • Assistant Chief Constable – Scott Young
  • Assistant Chief Constable (temporary) – Scott Hall
  • Assistant Chief Constable (temporary) – Neil Hutchison

Structure

Northumbria Police is divided into three Area Commands. The number of police stations is in the process of being rationalised as part of significant ongoing budget reductions.[13]

Identifier Area Command Area Command HQ Area
HHNorthernPolice HQ, Middle Engine Lane Police Station, WallsendNorthumberland and North Tyneside[14]
IICentralEtal Lane Police Station, Newcastle upon TyneNewcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead[15]
JJSouthernSouth Shields Police StationSunderland and South Tyneside[16]

Neighbourhood policing

Northumbria Police has numerous teams dedicated to neighbourhood policing attached to the area commands as the table below outlines. A number of these teams are now based within community hubs rather than traditional police stations.[17]

Northumbria Police: Neighbourhood Policing Teams
Identifier Area Command Neighbourhood Policing Teams
HH Northern Bedlington; Blyth; Cramlington; Ashington; Morpeth; Alnwick; Berwick; West Tynedale; East Tynedale; North Shields; Whitley Bay; Killingworth; Wallsend
II Central Newcastle North West; Newcastle North; Newcastle West; Newcastle City; Newcastle East; Newcastle East Riverside; Central Gateshead; East Gateshead; South Gateshead; Inner West Gateshead; Metro Centre Gateshead; Outer West Gateshead
JJ Southern Houghton; Sunderland Central; Sunderland East; Sunderland North; Sunderland South; Sunderland West; Washington; East Shields, Cleadon and Whitburn; Jarrow and Hebburn; West Shields and Riverside

Funding cuts

Northumbria Police has faced budget cuts of 23% since 2010, higher than any other police force in England and Wales. Former Chief constable, Steve Ashman expressed fears Northumbria police could soon be unable to provide an adequate service. Ashman said, "If the day of not being able to provide a professional service was here, I would say. It is not here, but it is getting very, very close." Northumbria police received £259.6 million for the year 2017–18 which is up slightly from £259.5 in 2016–17. This small rise is insufficient to compensate for inflation currently at just under 3% per year. Northumbria police experienced a funding cut in real terms. Most Northumbrian police stations now close at 8.00 pm or earlier, and people needing the police after that time must use the telephone or an interactive service.[18][19]

Communications

There are two inter-operable call centres which serve the entire Northumbria area:

  • Northern Communication Centre (NCC) which deals with all stations and commands North of the Tyne, based at Ponteland, Northumberland.
  • Southern Communication Centre (SCC) which deals with all stations and commands South of the Tyne, based at South Shields police station.

Chief Constables

Officers killed in the line of duty
See also: List of British police officers killed in the line of duty

The Police Roll of Honour Trust lists and commemorates all British police officers killed on and in the line of duty.

Since 1900, the following officers of Northumbria Police and its predecessors are listed by the Trust as having been killed while attempting to prevent, stop or solve a criminal act:[20]

  • PC George Bertram Mussell KPM, 1913 (fatally shot)
  • Sgt Andrew Barton, 1913 (fatally shot)
  • PC George William Wheatley, 1957 (fell from roof while searching for a suspect)
  • PC Brian Armstrong, 1966 (stabbed to death)
  • PC Daniel Buckley, 1982 (fell through roof while pursuing a burglar)
  • PC Bernard Leslie Bull, 1991 (collapsed and died during an arrest)
  • Sgt William Forth, 1993 (stabbed to death)
  • PC Joseph Geoffrey Carroll, 2006 (killed after the prisoner he was transporting caused the vehicle to crash)

On November 6, 2017, Constable John Davidson of the Abbotsford Police Department in British Columbia, Canada, was shot and killed[21] while trying to arrest a suspect who had allegedly opened fire in the parking lot of a shopping centre. Davidson had served with the Northumbria Police from 1993 to 2005 before emigrating to join the Abbotsford Police.[22][23]

Controversies

In May 2016, details emerged of an affair between former Chief Constable Mike Craik and then Assistant Chief Constable Carolyn Peacock. Peacock's husband – also then a serving police officer – found out about the affair at a barbecue, and attacked Craik. Officers from Northumbria Police were called to the incident, which was later removed from all police logs on order of the Chief Constable, and legally banned from reporting in the courts. The legal bans were lifted, after the former Head of Legal sued the force for unfair dismissal.[24]

In 2018, off-duty Newcastle PC Katie Barratt repeatedly referred to a member of takeaway staff as a "paki"" whilst drunk, and following being reported by her off-duty colleagues who were also present, she was dismissed from the force. However, in March 2019, she was allowed to return to the job following the ruling from an independent panel. In December 2019, it was revealed Northumbria Police had successfully overturned the decision of the independent panel through the courts, ensuring PC Barratt did not retain her job.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2020 second edition". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Doughty, Sophie (29 September 2017). "New acting Chief Constable appointed at Northumbria Police". chroniclelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018.
  4. "Sorry, this page cannot be found – Northumbria Police". ww2.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
  5. "Police mergers outlined by Clarke". 6 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  6. "Opinions of the forces on the future merge (accessed 1 Feb '07)". durham.police.uk. Archived from the original on 8 July 2006.
  7. Brown, Jonathan (8 July 2010). "One-tenth of UK's armed police join in manhunt for Raoul Moat". The Independent. London.
  8. "Marksmen search town for gunman". BBC News. 7 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. "Search for Raoul Moat intensifies amid public threat". BBC News Tyne & Wear. 9 July 2010.
  10. "Raoul Moat news blackout requested after threat to kill public". The Guardian. London. 10 July 2010.
  11. "Operation Sanctuary arrests top 100". BBC News. 20 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  12. "Chief Officer Team – About Us – Northumbria Police". www.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016.
  13. Lawson, Ruth (9 January 2014). "Northumbria Police announce huge job losses due to funding cuts". thejournal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015.
  14. "Home". Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  15. "Central Area Command – Your Neighbourhood – Northumbria Police". www.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016.
  16. "Southern Area Command – Your Neighbourhood – Northumbria Police". www.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016.
  17. "Sorry, this page cannot be found – Northumbria Police". www.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009.
  18. Hill, Laura (8 September 2017). "Top cop's warning following years of police cuts". chroniclelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017.
  19. Police chief constable says professional service at risk from budget cuts Archived 9 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian
  20. "Police Roll Of Honour Trust". www.policememorial.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011.
  21. "Candlelight vigil planned for fallen Abbotsford police officer Monday evening – CBC News". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
  22. "'As brave as a lion': Const. John Davidson's U.K. colleagues in mourning – CBC News". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017.
  23. "Death of former Northumbria officer – 08 – Northumbria Police". www.northumbria.police.uk. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017.
  24. Finnigan, Lexi (4 May 2016). "Police chief 'punched at barbecue over affair with assistant chief constable'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  25. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-50688511
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