West Midlands celebrates massive police officer uplift
The force has added more than 300 neighbourhood officers in the past year
West Midlands Police has seen an increase of 309 officers to its neighbourhood teams in the past year – the largest increase in neighbourhood policing in the country.
The major uplift includes 150 brand-new police officers, 139 police officers redeployed from elsewhere within the force, and 20 newly funded Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
Its 10% higher than the next nearest achieving Force, Cumbria Police, and beats Greater Manchester Police by 133 officers.
Through funding from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, teams are also being equipped with new police vehicles, advanced kit and the latest body-worn video cameras to prevent and tackle crime effectively.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, is celebrating increasing the neighbourhood frontline, saying the rollout directly delivers on his top priority to rebuild community policing.
"Rebuilding community policing is, and always will be, my top priority."
He said: "I am pleased to announce that we have allocated 309 extra officers and PCSOs straight into our local neighbourhoods, backed by brand-new vehicles, cutting-edge kit, and body-worn cameras.
"This is about putting neighbourhood police officers out on the streets, which is exactly where they need to be. By strengthening our frontline, we have now achieved a near 49% increase in neighbourhood officer numbers since 2025."
Simon Foster says the "unfit and unfair" national allocation of police funding and officers to the force means the region still has 520 fewer police officers compared to pre-2010 levels.
He added: "West Midlands is an efficient force at translating additional resources into action, and I can only imagine what they would achieve if we had the additional 520 officers that we are still down on when compared with 2010.
"I have taken the opportunity to upgrade vehicles and kit for officers as part of an effective use of the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, but that money was a one-off and government have been unclear about how future budget settlements will enable me to keep this investment up to date.
"I implore the government to confirm that this funding will be available in the future so that we do not see this improvement drift away as the vehicles age, and government should do what should have been done in 2015 and reform the unfair and unfit for purpose funding formula to ensure fair funding for West Midlands Police."
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Drover, who oversees neighbourhood policing, added: "Neighbourhood officers are at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in policing across the region.
"They are a visible presence on the streets and work with partners and communities to tackle issues which matter to you, carrying out targeted activity and looking at long-term solutions.
"With additional officers we can make even more of an impact in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across all of our seven local policing areas."