North Wales Police to celebrate 50th anniversary

North Wales Police will mark its 50th anniversary with a range of activities throughout 2024 to showcase its heritage and highlight how policing has changed and progressed over the years.

Policing has occurred in north Wales for over 160 years but North Wales Police as we now know it was officially formed on 1^st April 1974.

North Wales Police was formed when the new counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd came into existence.

The force served the geographical areas of both the new counties as had its predecessor, the Gwynedd Police, which had been formed on 1^st October 1967 by the merger of the former Flintshire, Denbighshire and Gwynedd Constabularies, the latter having been the police force for Caernarvonshire, Anglesey and Merionethshire.

North Wales Police has change and adapted a lot since 1974 with advances in technology meaning crimes can be solved faster and equal rights for women meaning female Chief Constable’s can serve as well as men.

Proud

The force will be celebrating its past in a variety of ways throughout the year with regular features which will take you behind the scenes of various departments, events and activities – including an Open Day to be held at Police Headquarters in Colwyn Bay in September.

North Wales Police is planning a display documenting the history of the force and has asked to hear from anybody who may have memorabilia such as photographs, books, uniform, medals and interesting stories from the last 50 years to please make contact here.

Changes

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: “This is a big year for us as we turn 50. But whilst much has changed since 1974, our core values remain the same – protecting people from harm, catching criminals and keeping our communities safe.

“North Wales Police has changed in several ways over the last 50 years, changes which have been necessary to maintain and improve our policing services.

“Technology has advanced to transform how we work today and assist us in solving crimes quicker – officers can view images and retrieve information at the touch of a button, we’ve invested heavily in the latest Drone technology and our fleet have modernised with electric vehicles being introduced onto the roads.

“Of course, equality for women has come on leaps and bounds – a female Chief Constable would have been unthinkable 50 years ago.

“Now women are able to carry out every role in the force without restriction – from Firearms Officers to dog handlers, from Crime Scene Investigators to Custody. The opportunities these days are endless.

“Our passion and commitment to helping to keep our communities safe has remained the same over the last 50 years. One key thing we’ve always been able to rely on has been the support of the communities we serve.

“The contribution made by the communities of North Wales in helping us to fight crime cannot be underestimated and I would like to thank everyone for their support.

“I am proud of the modern force we have today, and I am extremely proud to lead an organisation full of dedicated and hardworking officers, staff and volunteers who are committed in delivering the best possible service to our communities.

“We’ve also recently undertaken a full rebrand of the North Wales Police crest. This was done following the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II and we, alongside numerous other public sector organisations, began a process of updating our Force Crest and all the associated branding to reflect the new monarch, King Charles III.

“We’re proud of our identity and are pleased to be introducing the new crest as part of our 50th celebrations. I look forward to inviting you to help us celebrate 50 years of North Wales Police.”

To take a trip down memory lane and to find out all the latest information on the 50th anniversary celebrations follow #NWP50 on social media and keep up to date by visiting the website www.northwales.police.uk