West Midlands Police Force is the largest provincial force in the country, responsible for a population of 2.64m. The West Midlands is made up of seven local authority areas covering Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

It is the home to major venues such as the National Exhibition Centre, the International Convention Centre, as well as six football league clubs. It is served by local and inter-city links, Birmingham International Airport and one of the busiest and most concentrated motorway networks in Europe.

For policing purposes the West Midlands is divided into 21 operational command units (OCUs, known as Basic Command Units (BCUs) in other parts of the country.) A Chief Superintendent heads each of these areas. They are responsible to the Chief Officers (Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and four Assistant Chief Constables) for all the policing activity in their area.

Each OCU is divided into a number of sectors headed by an inspector who manages teams of sergeants, police constables and police community support officers. This style of policing is aimed at making police officers more visible and accessible. In addition to these geographical units the force has a number of central departments dealing with major crime, performance and professional standards. More details about the force can be found on the force's website www.west-midlands.police.uk