Retired police officer revisits his roots

A firearms officer who retired more than 35 years ago, returned to see how policing has changed since he left the force in 1990.

Retired Inspector Maurice Corden has always had an interest in armed policing and was keen to visit the unit and meet current officers.

Maurice joined West Midlands Police in 1974 after beginning his career as a police officer with Warwickshire Police in February 1960 where he worked in a variety of roles including a firearms instructor.

During his visit, Maurice was shown around the armoury to see what equipment and kit are in use today, including Tasers which were introduced long after Maurice retired. Maurice also got to see inside police vehicles and the extra kit officers now have access to.

Some new recruits were taking part in a training scenario which Maurice enjoyed watching, which showed some of the challenges officers face today.

Sgt Graeme Northwood from the Firearms Unit said: “It was an honour to welcome Maurice and hear all about his experiences and memories from his time as a police officer.

“We spent some time with Maurice at our ‘Armed Police History Wall’ where he reminisced about his time in policing, and we presented Maurice with his old HR file. It was a sort of a ‘this is your life’ special moment where some of the unit gathered to watch.

"The file was filled with lots of memories from Maurice’s career including photos of when he first joined and awards and commendations he received over the years.

“Our officers really enjoyed talking to Maurice and listening to him recount his memories. It was a real honour to welcome him back to WMP.”