Derrick Capper

Sir William Derrick Capper QPM
Died	20 March 1976
Nationality	British
Occupation	Chief constable

Sir William Derrick Capper, QPM (died 20 March 1976) was an English Police Constable and the first Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.^[1]

Career

Capper studied at Hendon Police College between 1937 and 1939. He was appointed as the Chief Constable of Birmingham City Police in 1963. When interviewed about his new role, Capper stated that although fighting crime was a priority, he also had an interest in road traffic and vowed to tackle challenges in this area of policing.^[2] Capper continued his role as Chief Constable upon the creation of the West Midlands Police on 1 April 1974 after the introduction of the Local Government Act 1972.

Capper was involved in the Battle of Saltley Gate in 1972, a confrontation between police and picketing miners in the Saltley area of Birmingham during the UK miners' strike.^[3]

During his service, Capper was also made the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers. He remained at West Midlands Police until his retirement on 30 June 1975.^[4] He was succeeded by Lord Philip Knights

Honours & Awards

Capper was made a Knight Batchelor on 8 June 1968.^[5] He was also made an Officer of the Order of St John in 1965^[6] and later promoted to Commander in 1974.^[7] He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in 1962.^[8]

Order of Saint John (chartered 1888)	1965
Queens Police Medal	1962
Defence Medal	1945
War Medal 1939–1945	1945
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal	1953
Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal	1972

Personal life

Capper was a member of the Freemasons.^[9]

References

1. West Midlands Police, Sir Derrick Capper (1974). Chief Constable's Report.
2. "Midlands News: 01.07.1963: Interview with the Chief Constable of Birmingham". Media Archive for Central England. 1 July 1963.
3. Kellaway, Robert (2010). "Re-examining the Battle of Saltley Gate: inter- pretations of leadership, violence and legacy" (PDF). Department of Historical Studies: Best undergraduate dissertations of 2010 (University of Bristol): 20. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
4. West Midlands Police, Philip Knights (1975). Chief Constable's Report.
5. The London Gazette: no. 44600. p. 6299. 31 May 1968.
6. The London Gazette: no. 43547. p. 405. 12 January 1965.
7. The London Gazette: no. 46322. p. 6880. 11 June 1974.
8. The London Gazette: no. 42683. p. 4338. 2 June 1962.
9. "A brotherhood based on loyalty not conspiracy; Do you have to be a Mason to succeed in the police? Harry Hawkes reports.". Birmingham Post. 26 February 1998.