Museum Volunteer

West Midlands Police Museum – Volunteers

The West Midlands Police Museum is dedicated to telling the history of policing the West Midlands from the early days of law and order right through to today. Based at the former Lock-up on Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, the museum provides an immersive experience and chance to step into the past.

This role also covers volunteering at our second, smaller museum based in the Council House in Coventry City Centre. 

As well as sharing our history, we also engage visitors with current policing messages, welcome school groups, and host local community days. We need your help to tell these important stories to our visitors 

The West Midlands Police Museum is looking to recruit volunteers to cover various roles 

Including 

• Retail and admissions
• Engaging with visitors 
• Helping with school visits
• Assisting with out of hours events like talks, tours and ghost hunts 
• Supporting off-site events like community fun days, heritage fairs, and police open days

Frequency of volunteering 

• We are looking for volunteers who can commit at least once a month, but you are welcome to come help out as often as you like

• The main museum is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. The Coventry site is open Thursdays and Fridays between 10am and 2pm.

• Our evening events usually run between 6pm – 10pm

What we're looking for 

You don't have to have experience with the police or an in-depth knowledge of police history, we're looking for: 

• Enthusiasm for museums and policing heritage 

• Warm and friendly personality 

• A desire to learn 

• Ability to work as part of a team 

• Proactive with a positive nature,

• Have an interest in providing an excellent visitor experience

What you'll get in return 

• Learn new skills and gain new experiences

• Be a part of an award-winning team, delivering fantastic experiences for families, groups, and schools

• Learn about the heritage of policing in the West Midlands

• Meet new people and social opportunities

• Gain experience in museums and heritage

• Visits to other museums

• Enjoy volunteer benefits such as a number of free tickets for friends and family, discounts in our gift shop, and free tickets to events

Where

• Our main site is the West Midlands Police Museum, The Lock-up, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham.

• We also have a Coventry Police Museum in the Coventry City Council House

• We also visit other venues with a mobile display so there will be a chance to visit other events and locations across the West Midlands as part of our volunteer team

Additional Information 

• All volunteers will need to be vetted by West Midlands Police to undertake this role

• Applicants must be 18 years of age and over

Vetting:-

All volunteers will need to be vetted by West Midlands Police to undertake this role. In addition to this, a DBS may be required - if successful post interview the team will inform you if the DBS is required. 

For Further information please: email  to find out more or arrange a visit

Prospective officers and staff must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold.  

West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions.  As part of our commitment we operate a 'Disability Confident Interview Scheme' - all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be offered an interview.  

It is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people who meet the essential criteria for the job. For example: in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. In these circumstances, the employer could select the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job, as they would do for non-disabled applicants.

"Diversity and Inclusion Vision:  Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities"