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]] &mdash; 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]]