Britain's oldest bobby is finally hanging up his truncheon after still pounding the beat and catching crooks - aged 66. Cornell Barnes - who is known as Barney - has been a police constable since he joined West Midlands Police at the age of 41 in 1990. He has become a popular figure in the Hillfields area of Coventry, West Mids., after spending almost three decades working to keep the neighbourhood safe. The granddad-of-two has helped put hundreds of criminals behind bars, arresting an average of 50 each year - around 1,300 in his career.