West Midlands Police

About Us

West Midlands Police is the second largest police force in the country, covering an area of 348 square miles and serving a population of almost 2.8 million.

Preventing crime, protecting the public and helping those in need is our vision.

Our officers play a vital role in ensuring that the communities of the West Midlands are kept safe. It isn’t easy but it is rewarding and can be a career like no other. We want people to join us who have a range of life experiences and backgrounds; it is vitality important that we represent all of the communities that we serve.

The West Midlands is an area rich in diversity, with approximately 30% of its population from ethnic minority backgrounds. The region sits at the very heart of the country and covers the three major centres of Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton. It also includes the busy and thriving districts of Sandwell, Walsall, Solihull and Dudley. Leisure, retail and conference amenities, together with Premiership and Championship football teams, attract millions of visitors annually. There’s a vibrant student scene with numerous universities and colleges across the region – and we have now partnered with Staffordshire University for our own student police officer training programme.

The force deals with more than 2,000 emergency calls for help every day, as well as patrolling the streets and responding to incidents 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week.

We have big ambitions for our future and we have a three-year strategy about how we’ll get there. Called This Work Matters, it provides a framework for the way we’ll work by building on our strengths. We know that working for West Midlands Police is not just a job. We know that this work matters. Our strategy supports the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan and is designed on the principle of helping people make the biggest difference they can.

Our training equips officers for the specialist skills they need to do the job, but it’s the human touch – kindness, humour, friendliness and empathy – that people remember. That’s why our latest recruitment campaign focuses on these cases. We want you to see you’re made for this.

Every single one of our people has a part to play in making our plans come to life.

Whatever your background, take a look at a career with WMP.

What it’s like to work for us?

Life around here is diverse and fast-paced; careers are varied and demanding – but exciting too!

As a police officer you will become the eyes, ears and face of WMP. You will be working together with local communities, partner agencies and colleagues to forge relationships built on trust to deliver our vision through our values.

Neighbourhood policing continues to play a significant part in tackling issues and working in partnership with our local communities. Our frontline Response teams work in hubs across the force area. We have teams based across our patch to investigate crime and vulnerability, in our CID and Public Protection units. We have central Firearms, Roads Policing, Operations, Offender Management, Intelligence and Professional Standards departments and work in partnership with police colleagues in the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, the Central Motorway Police Group and the Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Being a police officer isn’t a 9-5 role and you will be required to work shifts that include nights, weekends and bank holidays. Your base location of work will vary throughout your career and you may be posted anywhere within the West Midlands region. You will also need to prepare yourself for potentially dangerous situations but be reassured that we will support you to be ready to handle these.

It isn’t easy but it is rewarding and can be a career like no other.

The type of jobs we recruit for?

West Midlands Police not only recruit for Police Officer roles but for lots of Police Staff roles too.

Take a look at our website, where you can also sign up for job alerts.