Increase in police officer sackings - report

A police force has seen an increase in the number of "unsuitable" officers sacked in the past year, a report reveals.

West Midlands Police dismissed 39 officers in 2024, a rise of 14 from the previous 12 months, the region's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster said at a West Midlands Police and Crime Panel.

Alethea Fuller, deputy chief executive at the office of the PCC said: "While dismissals are challenging, we're determined to remove unsuitable officers".

She added there had been a "renewed focus on misconduct" following the arrival of a new chief constable.

The report also revealed a 5% rise in the number of complaints made by the public but Ms Fuller put this down to changes introduced to make it easier for people to raise concerns.

This increase meant 4,175 complaints were recorded in 2024 and the bigger volume had led to the time taken to respond to them with a solution nearly doubling.

Ms Fuller said the delay "remained a focus" after complete resolution times rose from 89.8 working days to 149.8 days.

"I take the trust and responsibility placed in me very seriously", Mr Foster said.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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