West Midlands to get 150 extra police officers

The West Midlands is to get 150 more neighbourhood police officers as part of government plans to put "bobbies back on the beat".

The region will also receive an additional 20 police community support officers, who will be recruited straight away, said West Midlands Police.

The force said it would also redeploy 139 of its existing serving officers into neighbourhood policing roles.

Police and crime commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster and Chief Constable Craig Guilford made an application to the government for the additional officers in March.

The government has pledged £100m to put 13,000 extra police officers out on patrol across the country, to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said the "return to neighbourhood policing" would put "thousands of bobbies back on the beat".

In the West Midlands, each neighbourhood is to have dedicated officers working almost exclusively in the area, as well as a named officer for each ward.

The force said named officers would focus on tackling persistent local issues, crime and disorder interventions and community engagement.

The changes are set to take place later this year, once officers have been recruited.

West Midlands Police added the named officers would "act as a local expert, with in-depth knowledge of their area's challenges and the skills to proactively resolve problems".

Mr Guildford said he welcomed the government's support.

He added: "Crime continues to fall across West Midlands Police and these extra officers will be actively involved in reducing it further by preventing crime and bringing those who choose to harm communities to justice."

In a letter confirming the news, policing minister Diana Johnson MP said the number of people who had seen uniformed officers in their local area had "halved in the last decade".

"Now is the time for swift action to address this, to help rebuild the connection between police and the public," she added.

Mr Foster said he applied for the extra officers because West Midlands Police still had about 700 fewer police officers and 500 fewer community support officers than it did in 2010.

He said: "My top priority since being elected has been to rebuild community policing across the West Midlands and these additional officers, will contribute to achieving that aim."

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