Police museum finds permanent home

Corinne Brazier said she was pleased to be given the space

A police museum that covers almost 190 years of history has found a permanent home.

Coventry Police Museum opened at the city's council house on Tuesday after its previous site closed in 2020 and it operated as a pop-up project in 2021.

Their exhibits include the story of Mohammed Daar, who joined the city’s police force in 1966 and became the first Asian officer in the country.

“We’re so pleased to be able to have this space,” said Corinne Brazier, heritage manager at West Midlands Police Museum, which oversees the Coventry site.

Coventry Police Museum opened at the city's council house on Tuesday

The museum showcases items such as truncheons and road safety booklets as well as telling the stories of memorable officers

Coventry has had a formal police force since the first officers were sworn in in 1836.

The museum showcases memorable officers from the force’s 188-year history such as Wilfred Lambert, who policed during the Blitz in World War Two and whose written account of his experiences was later used by a local historian.

The exhibits also include the stories of Edna Goodacre and Kathleen Rowe who became the city’s first female police officers in 1938.

A bicycle from an IRA bombing in Coventry in 1939 is also on display.

“It’s such a harrowing object. It’s a really poignant reminder of what happened,” Ms Brazier said.

The museum opened in 1957 on Little Park Street and closed in 2020 before reopening on a pop-up basis during Coventry’s year as the UK City of Culture.

It will open on Thursdays and Fridays and be staffed by volunteers, most of whom are retired police officers.