The Police and Crime Commissioner is pleased to announce the unveiling of West Midlands Police’s new headquarters in Coventry and the opening of a new public contact office.
Willenhall police station on Chace Avenue has been significantly refurbished to become the new home of Coventry Police, replacing Coventry Central police station on Little Park Street in the city centre.
Willenhall police station, situated four miles from the city, is now a 24-hour site for hundreds of officers and the new public contact office is open 9am-5pm every day of the year for people to report crime and seek police and safety advice in-person.
This is in addition to 24/7 phone and online services. There’s also an intercom available for the public to use outside of Willenhall police station which is connected to the force’s call centre for help and advice.
Coventry’s most senior police officers are now based at Chace Avenue alongside emergency response officers, local crime investigators, intelligence staff, neighbourhood teams and other specialist functions.
The refurbishment also includes upgrading Willenhall’s 24 police cells and the installation of modern digital interview equipment in four interview rooms.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, who sanctioned the new upgrades at Willenhall and who owns all West Midlands Police buildings, said: “I am pleased that we have secured the long-term future of Coventry Police’s new headquarters and public contact office, through this vital investment.
“This is a clear indication of my commitment to neighbourhood policing, to ensure officers and staff have the facilities they need, to provide the public with an effective and efficient police service.
“By modernising the police station, we are not only improving working conditions for our hard-working police officers and staff but also enhancing the service we provide to victims of crime and the wider community.
“This investment is part of my wider strategy, to ensure that West Midlands Police is fit for policing in the 21st century, with an accessible, reassuring and visible police presence, based in the communities it serves – preventing and tackling crime and keeping people, families, businesses and local communities safe and secure.”
Coventry Central police station on Little Park Street will retain a public contact office and will be home to locally-based neighbourhood teams in the city centre.
It means Coventry now has two public contact offices for people to report crime and seek advice in-person.
Over the 12-month period from August 2024 to July 2025, West Midlands Police’s public contact offices (PCOs) played an important role as more than 6,500 crimes were recorded, with stalking and harassment (26.6%), theft (20.4%) and assault (14.3%) the three most common crimes logged in-person by the public.
In total, there were 121,668 visits to West Midlands Police’s 10 PCOs with Willenhall’s new front desk now taking the force’s total to 11 across the seven local policing areas (Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Wolverhampton and Walsall).
Chief Constable Craig Guildford commented: “Public contact offices are a key component of our large operational police stations.
“While it is people and not bricks which keep neighbourhoods safe, I recognise their iconic status within communities – they make people feel reassured.
“It is a fact that most people prefer to call us or go online these days. There are some transactions which remain face-to-face and some are often sensitive depending on need.
“That said, our contact staff are adaptable and undertake many other duties such as answering 101 calls, as well as seeing people at the desk.”
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