Tributes have been paid to Alan Chadwick, a former chief superintendent of South Wales Police who assisted in the formation of the force in the 1960s. He died on June 18 at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff at the age of 93.
Early life and RAF service
Born in Roath on August 26, 1932, to carpenter Thomas and Evelyn Chadwick, Alan attended Albany Primary School during World War II. He witnessed a German bomber flying over Roath Park Lake, smoke generators, barrage balloons in Albany Road, and Ack Ack guns firing at enemy aircraft on Penylan Hill.
Leaving school at 14 with no qualifications, he became a typewriter mechanic and learned Judo at Cardiff’s first Judo club. Inspired by his grandfather, a police officer in the 1870s, he applied to join Cardiff City Police at 18, but was called up for national service in 1950 and joined the RAF Police.
He was stationed in Glasgow, Northern Ireland, and Egypt during the Suez Crisis, taking part in several battles including the Battle of Ismailia in 1952. In Egypt, he met his future wife, Esme Hutchinson, an RAF radio operator.
Police career and formation of South Wales Police
The couple moved to Cardiff in 1953, and Alan achieved his dream of joining Cardiff City Police. In 1969, he reached the rank of inspector and helped oversee the formation of South Wales Police, then known as South Wales Constabulary, through the amalgamation of Cardiff, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, and Glamorgan police forces.
In 1974, he became one of the first police officers to earn a law degree and prosecuted cases in magistrates’ court before the Crown Prosecution Service was formed. He represented police services of England and Wales at COBRA meetings, specialising in civilian defence and nuclear event responses. In the late 1980s, he designed the first police academic qualification with Glamorgan University.
Family and legacy
His son Jonathan Chadwick, also a South Wales Police officer, said: 'He pushed for formal university partnerships across the country to professionalise policing. Advocating for police officers to be educated to degree level before joining the police, blending academic theory with operational competence.'
The Home Office offered him a senior promotion in the Metropolitan Police, but he turned it down to stay with his family and because of his love of Cardiff. He regularly commanded policing of Cardiff City football matches at Ninian Park and events at the National Stadium.
Alan retired in 1995 as chief superintendent after 42 years of service. He was father to Jonathan and Louise, who became a consultant surgeon.
