West Midlands PCC calls for return of 700 'missing' officers ahead of Spending Review
Simon Foster is calling for front-line policing numbers to return to pre-austerity levels
Ahead of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review announcement on June 11, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands (PCC), Simon Foster, is calling for the return of the 700 police officers the region has lost since 2010.
The PCC is urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use tomorrow's Spending Review to restore front-line policing numbers in the West Midlands to pre-austerity levels.
He argues communities across the region are being 'short-changed' and left 'vulnerable' due to 'historic under-funding'.
“The people of the West Midlands have been short-changed for far too long,” said PCC Simon Foster.
“We still have nearly 700 fewer police officers than in 2010, despite rising demand and increasing complexity in the nature of crime. However, many other police force areas now have more police officers, than they have ever had in their force histories. That is not fair and it is not just. The West Midlands has been short changed for far too long. It’s time for the Government to take this opportunity to put that right.”
The PCC is also calling for a new 'funding formula' that allocates resources based on demand and need, rather than what he calls outdated metrics that he says disadvantage urban forces like West Midlands Police.
“We need a funding model that reflects the real pressures on policing in our region,” he said.
“The current formula is broken and unfit for purpose. It fails to account for the scale of demand we face, from serious organised crime to safeguarding vulnerable people. This is not about more money. It is about delivering a fairer allocation of funding, to keep our people and communities safe and secure.”