More cells for city following major refurbishment

Dear Resident, 

I thought you'd be interested to know that Willenhall police base now has more cells for officers to fill, following a major refurbishment.

For the past three months, workers have been extending the original facilities to create:

You can see inside the facility by watching our YouTube film.

We’re now arresting more people and seeing better outcomes in our investigations. We’re also answering calls for service faster and arriving at incidents sooner, when compared to our performance a few years ago.

In June alone, our West Midlands Police officers arrested around 5,000 people. The new cells will help us manage these increased numbers.

In 2022, we had just four custody facilities across the region but thanks to our investment and by working differently, we have more operational cells than ever before, across seven sites.

The changes to the force’s custody estate is all part of Chief Constable Craig Guildford’s vision of creating a more balanced system focused on supporting frontline officers in making proactive arrests, while ensuring that all the elements of safer detention are sensibly facilitated.

These changes are more than just about safe and secure cells, it’s about Coventry Police’s total operational effectiveness – the updated facilities will really make a difference.

While good, the facilities are far from luxurious. Custody remains a very challenging environment where we are responsible for many very vulnerable people with very complex needs.

There are also legal requirements for us to provide certain facilities and to protect certain rights of detainees.

Interview rooms have been fitted with the latest digital interview equipment and CCTV - including audio recording - has been upgraded for everyone’s safety.

As part of the works, inexpensive adaptations have been made to help children, disabled and neurodivergent people who use the cells or work at the site. These include adjustable lighting, digital clocks in key areas, sight lines painted on walls to help with navigation and murals to help refocus vision and distract thoughts. 

This is the first refurbishment of the site since it was opened in 1995.

During the building works, officers used the cells at Coventry Central and other police stations across the West Midlands.