SPA resident and former chief constable of West Mercia Constabulary Alex Rennie CBE visited police headquarters to meet the current chief constable Paul West, almost 30 years since he retired from the post.

The-91-year-old, who lives in Droitwich Spa, was at Hindlip Hall, near Worcester, on May 19 to sign copies of his recently published autobiography ‘From Farm Hand to Chief Constable’.

On leaving school at 14, Mr Rennie started work as a second horseman at Nether Mill Farm in Birness, Aberdeenshire, during the depression years of the early 1930s.

Studying in the evenings after a hard day in the fields paid rewards when he joined Durham County Constabulary in 1937 aged 19. By coincidence Chief Constable West also started in policing with the same force aged 19.

Mr Rennie served in the RAF and the Army during World War II and married Lucy Brunt in December 1941. The couple had two children; Alex and Margaret.

He returned to Durham County Constabulary in 1945 and served with the force until 1963; including a secondment to Police College, Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire, in March 1958 as superintendent.

Mr Rennie transferred to Shropshire Constabulary as Deputy Chief Constable in April 1963. Shropshire Constabulary, Herefordshire, Worcester City and Worcester County forces subsequently amalgamated to form West Mercia Constabulary in 1967.

Just prior to the amalgamation he was seconded to the Police College, Bramshill for two years, returning to West Mercia Constabulary in April 1969 as assistant chief constable.

He was appointed to succeed Sir John [Sandy} Willison in late 1974 and took up the post of chief constable in early 1975.

Chief Constable of West Mercia Police Paul West said: “We were absolutely delighted to welcome Mr Rennie back to West Mercia headquarters today and trust that he enjoyed his visit.

“No doubt he has noticed a few changes in policing since his time here but the strong reputation that the force has for providing a high level of service in our communities can, in many ways, be tracked back to the exacting standards set by Alex and people like him at the time of its inception.

“Mr Rennie had a fine and distinguished policing career in addition to his outstanding military service during World War Two. This book gives a fascinating insight into the life of a quite extraordinary man.”

One of the biggest cases during Mr Rennie’s time as chief constable was the murder of Lesley Whittle, aged 17, who was kidnapped from her home in Highley, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

Donald Neilson (dubbed the Black Panther by the media at the time) was arrested 11 months later and subsequently convicted of both kidnap and murder.

Mr Rennie received both the CBE and QPM (Queens Police Medal) in 1980. He retired to Droitwich Spa, where he still lives, in 1981 and has eleven great grandchildren.

He decided to write his memoirs to let them know about his life story and it has taken him three years to pen his autobiography.

He said: “It is fantastic to see my book in print, I wrote the book due to pressure from my family who are spread all over the world.

“I’m a workaholic, I have been all my life. The writing of it was therapeutic, it was good for me.

He added: “I enjoyed every minute of being a policeman, I decided at 17 I wanted to be a police officer and I never wavered.”

p The autobiography, priced at £10, can be bought from M & D Books, High Street, Droitwich.

It can also be ordered through publisher Bound Biographies Ltd, by calling 01869 232911, or by visiting the website at arennie.co.uk