Kirk Dawes
Encyclopedia
Kirk Dawes QPM
(born c.
1957) is a former Detective Constable with West Midlands Police
who now runs The Centre For Conflict Transformation (TCFCT) formerly West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Services, a company involved in trying to reduce gun and gang violence in the United Kingdom
.
, one of six surviving children of Caribbean
immigrants. An early memory is of moving to a new house in a council estate in Bilston
where most residents had signed a petition against black families moving in. Educated at Willenhall Comprehensive School he then joined West Midlands Police in 1976. After three years as an ordinary constable in Willenhall
and Walsall
, he moved into specialist units, initially the robbery squard from 1979 until 1981, then the special patrol group, then from 1985 the drugs squad, before joining Sutton Coldfield
and Castle Vale
CID
in 1989 as a Detective Constable. After the publication of the Macpherson report in 1995 he moved into training other CID officers in racial diversity issues. In 1998 he became the regional chairman of the Black and Asian Police Association. A lung condition curtailed his police career in 2004, and on 12 June 2004 he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal
(QPM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours
.
, he played for the British police team and coached national league sides, and still uses basketball in his mediation work. He is also on the board of Birmingham Royal Ballet
.
The work of Dawes and the WMMTS is regularly reported in the British media; he was a "witness" interviewed by the "Street Weapons Commission" organised by Channel 4
and chaired by Cherie Booth which in 2008 investigated youth violence in the United Kingdom; he has also appeared as a witness before the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee
; and he is a regular conference speaker.
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
(born c.
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1957) is a former Detective Constable with West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
who now runs The Centre For Conflict Transformation (TCFCT) formerly West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Services, a company involved in trying to reduce gun and gang violence in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early life and police career
Born in WolverhamptonWolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, one of six surviving children of Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
immigrants. An early memory is of moving to a new house in a council estate in Bilston
Bilston
Bilston is a town in the English county of West Midlands, situated in the southeastern corner of the City of Wolverhampton. Three wards of Wolverhampton City Council cover the town: Bilston East and Bilston North, which almost entirely comprise parts of the historic Borough of Bilston, and...
where most residents had signed a petition against black families moving in. Educated at Willenhall Comprehensive School he then joined West Midlands Police in 1976. After three years as an ordinary constable in Willenhall
Willenhall
Willenhall is a town in the Black Country area of the West Midlands of England, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is situated between Wolverhampton and Walsall, historically in the county of Staffordshire...
and Walsall
Walsall
Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historically a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation and part of the Black Country.Walsall is the administrative...
, he moved into specialist units, initially the robbery squard from 1979 until 1981, then the special patrol group, then from 1985 the drugs squad, before joining Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield is a suburb of Birmingham, in the West Midlands of England. Sutton is located about from central Birmingham but has borders with Erdington and Kingstanding. Sutton is in the northeast of Birmingham, with a population of 105,000 recorded in the 2001 census...
and Castle Vale
Castle Vale
Castle Vale is a housing estate located near Erdington currently Castle Vale votes with Tyburn Ward which is part of Erdington constituency, northeast of Birmingham city centre in England...
CID
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
in 1989 as a Detective Constable. After the publication of the Macpherson report in 1995 he moved into training other CID officers in racial diversity issues. In 1998 he became the regional chairman of the Black and Asian Police Association. A lung condition curtailed his police career in 2004, and on 12 June 2004 he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
(QPM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
.
Mediation
After leaving the police he set up his company which mediates between principally Birmingham's gangs and others across the UK, and also tries to disengage youths from gang culture. His lung complaint also reduced his involvement in basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, he played for the British police team and coached national league sides, and still uses basketball in his mediation work. He is also on the board of Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Birmingham Royal Ballet is one of the three major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet....
.
The work of Dawes and the WMMTS is regularly reported in the British media; he was a "witness" interviewed by the "Street Weapons Commission" organised by Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and chaired by Cherie Booth which in 2008 investigated youth violence in the United Kingdom; he has also appeared as a witness before the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee
Home Affairs Select Committee
The Home Affairs Select Committee is a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Remit:The Home Affairs Committee is one of the House of Commons Select Committees related to government departments: its terms of reference are to examine "the expenditure,...
; and he is a regular conference speaker.
External links
- Kirk Dawes Associates
- West Midlands Mediation and Transformation Services
- http://www.tcfct.org