Cops show misses the point for West Midlands Police

Of the 171 local authorities in the UK, some of the lowest re-offending rates can be found right on our doorstep, with Sandwell rated as top, Dudley second and Wolverhampton in 8th place.

The success has been attributed to an initiative launched by West Midlands Police seven years ago, which involves a team of 250 officers deployed to work with offenders in an effort to set them on the straight and narrow.

But according to Superintendent Paul Betts, the force's lead for the Integrated Offender Management (IOM) programme, Channel 4s new documentary this week highlighted the criminal activities of repeat offenders at the expense of the work police do to stop them.

Monday night's episode focused on Jason 'Stokesy' Stokes - who proudly called himself a one-man crimewave - as well as a drug addict known as Becky.

Stokesy, who hails from Pensnett, had been in and out of custody so many times that he referred to Winson Green prison in Birmingham as his 'fourth home'. Brierley Hill police station and Dudley Magistrates Court were his second and third, he said.

Supt Betts said: I think it focused on the two characters involved, meaning the work we have done to reduce re-offending wasn't really made clear.

"They have a programme to make and there were obviously plenty of sensationalist comments that came out of it from the characters involved.

"But the statistics speak for themselves. We have been very successful when it comes to managing offenders' behaviour."

West Midlands Police was picked by Channel 4 bosses because of the success of its IOM programme, which led to the show's makers being given access to the force earlier this year.

Initially launched as a pilot in 2007, the IOM programme involves officers working with probation services, local authorities and numerous support agencies to offer help to offenders.

Even though the force is dealing with some of the most prolific criminals in the region, the approach has a lot more to it than simply locking them up and throwing away the key.

Supt Betts added: "We try to get to the root of their behaviour. First there needs to be control, which comes through the criminal justice system. But locking people up repeatedly does not work.

"They may have issues with employment, mental health, debt, drug abuse. It is a cycle. That's where our support networks come in. It is a carrot and stick approach. The work is challenging, but at the moment I think we are getting the balance right.

But Supt Betts concedes the hardest battle is getting offenders into a position where they want to change.

"For every success story, there will be others who refuse to remove themselves from the life of crime," he said.