DUDLEY Police are celebrating 100 years of protecting the borough today.

Dudley Borough Police was formed 100 years ago today on April 1, 1920 after breaking away from Worcestershire Constabulary.

The creation saw 56 officers take control of policing in the borough.

A celebration was planned to mark the milestone by West Midlands Police History which has been postponed by the coronavirus outbreak, so the team have been sharing their research from the forces' archive to celebrate the centenary.

They have unearthed photos and details of some of the men and women who worked to keep the borough safe over the past century.

The team have discovered how Dudley Borough Police released a number of officers to the Armed Forces during the Second World War.

Two never came home- PC Walter Wilde died in 1943 PC Raymond Coulson was killed a year later. Both policemen turned soldiers were aged just 27-years-old.

The birthday celebrations have also unearthed details of Dudley's first two female officers, pictured below.

Stourbridge News: Photo: WMP HistoryPhoto: WMP History

PW Doreen Carter (second from left) and PW Agnes Ross (on the right) both joined the force in 1947 and served the borough for over 20 years.

Dudley Borough Police merged with other Black Country forces in 1966 to form West Midlands Constabulary, before eventually merging with Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and parts of Staffordshire and West Mercia to form the current force West Midlands Police in 1974.

The team at West Midlands Police History are calling for anyone with information, photos or memories of Dudley Police to get in touch via museum@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk.

They are creating a booklet to commemorate the centenary of Dudley Borough Police which will be available to purchase when the Lock-Up Museum in Birmingham re-opens.