South Wales Police
1688254
225583213
2008-07-14T12:30:27Z
Necrothesp
64853
history
{{Infobox UK Police |
| name= South Wales Police<br>Heddlu De Cymru
| area= [[Bridgend (county borough)|Bridgend]], [[Cardiff]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]], [[Neath Port Talbot]], [[Rhondda Cynon Taff]], [[Swansea]] and [[Vale of Glamorgan]] unitary authority areas
| start= 1969
| population= 1,227,200
| size= 2,074 km²
| officers= 3,302
| title= Chief Constable
| head= [[Barbara Wilding]]
| divname= Divisions
| divno= 8
| stations=
| HQ= [[Bridgend]]
| map= Image:Police Wales SouthWales.svg
| image= [[Image:southwalespolice.gif]]
| web= [http://www.south-wales.police.uk www.south-wales.police.uk]
}}
'''South Wales Police''' ({{lang-cy|Heddlu De Cymru}}) is one of the four [[Home Office]] [[British police|police forces]] in [[Wales]]. Its headquarters are based in [[Bridgend]].
Covering Wales' capital city, [[Cardiff]], as well as [[Bridgend]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]] and [[Swansea]], and the western [[South Wales Valleys]], it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population, and the seventh largest in the [[United Kingdom|UK]].
The force was formed as '''South Wales Constabulary''' (the name was changed in 1996) on [[1 June]] [[1969]] by the merger of [[Glamorgan Constabulary]], [[Cardiff City Police]], [[Swansea Borough Police]] and [[Merthyr Tydfil Borough Police]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wpfa.fsnet.co.uk/teams.htm|title=Welsh Police Football Association—Teams|accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref><ref>[http://www.south-wales.police.uk/docs/MuseumLeafletEng.pdf South Wales Police Museum]</ref> In 1974, with the re-organisation of local government, the force's area was expanded to cover the newly-created [[Mid Glamorgan]], [[South Glamorgan]] and [[West Glamorgan]].
In further local government re-organisation in 1996 the force area lost the [[Rhymney Valley]] area to [[Gwent Police]]. Today it covers the [[subdivisions of Wales|principal areas]] of [[Bridgend (county borough)|Bridgend]], [[Cardiff]], [[Merthyr Tydfil]], [[Neath Port Talbot]], [[Rhondda Cynon Taff]], [[Swansea]] and the [[Vale of Glamorgan]] — most of what was the [[historic counties of Wales|ancient county]] of [[Glamorgan]].
Under proposals made by the [[Home Secretary]] on [[February 6]], [[2006]], the force would merge with [[North Wales Police]], [[Gwent Police]] and [[Dyfed-Powys Police]], to form a single strategic force for all of [[Wales]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4684590.stm|title=All-Wales police force confirmed|date=[[6 February]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-11-01}}</ref>
The South Wales Police has participated in the [[World Police and Fire Games]] since 1995, except for the 1999 Stockholm Games.
The current Chief Constable is [[Barbara Wilding]] QPM, CBE, CCML.
==See also==
*[[Policing in the United Kingdom]]
*[[List of police forces in the United Kingdom]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.south-wales.police.uk/ Force website]
*[http://www.archivesnetworkwales.info/cgi-bin/anw/search2?coll_id=2095&inst_id=33&term=Aberdare%20%7C%20Wales Glamorgan Constabulary records]
{{UK Police}}
[[Category:Police forces of Wales]]
[[Category:Cardiff]]
[[Category:Neath Port Talbot]]
[[Category:Swansea]]
[[Category:Vale of Glamorgan]]
[[Category:Rhondda Cynon Taff]]
[[Category:Merthyr Tydfil]]
[[Category:1969 establishments]]
[[cy:Heddlu De Cymru]]
[[no:South Wales Police]]