West Midlands Police to shut 28 buildings in £8.5m savings bid

Tettenhall, Dudley, Halesowen and Kingswinford stations are all facing the axe in a move that has sparked anger from politicians and police rank and file.

Police bases and storage facilities are facing the axe, and teams based there will be moved to other buildings.

None of the buildings are open to the public and police say it will help reduce the force's overall budget by £130m by 2020.

Wolverhampton:

Oxley

Heath Town

Merridale Court (Graiseley)

Pennwood Court

Tettenhall

Staveley House

Dudley:

Kingswinford

Halesowen

Netherton

Dudley (Inc. 3 x car parks)

Stourbridge

Sandwell:

Tanhouse Centre

Birmingham Headquarters:

Canterbury Road

Windmill House

Birmingham East:

Billesley

Kings Heath

Sheldon

Sparkhill

Birmingham North:

Castle Vale

Birmingham South:

Kings Norton (including

Masshouse Lane Annexe)

Warstock

Longbridge

Bartley Green

Birmingham West and Central:

Perry Barr

Handsworth West

(Holyhead Road)

Jewellery Quarter

Solihull:

Balsall Common

Shirley

The plans are being sent to the Police and Crime Commissioner for discussion on October 6. A decision will be a made a month later.

Today West Midlands Police Federation deputy chairman Tom Cuddeford hit out at the move.

He said: "These closures are a direct consequence of the Government's cuts programme.

"We appreciate the difficult situation the Force is in; it needs to balance the books due to the pressures of the ongoing budget cuts but it is also trying to maintain a quality service for the public.

"While these offices may not be open to the public, officers work from them and host meetings there.

"Their closure will take officers further away from the communities they serve and, instead of having a base on their patch, they will have to travel from another base meaning they are available to the public for less time."

West Midlands Police said: "The force is committed that any change in the use of estate does not adversely impact on service delivery."

Over the next five years, the number of police buildings will further reduce, meaning 68 buildings at a running cost of around £9 million per year will go.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "As the cuts continue to bite we are faced with some really tough decisions. The Government has consistently continued to disproportionately cut funding in the West Midlands and the challenge is how we maintain the service that the public comes into contact with.

"I will wait to hear the full report from West Midlands Police on this in early October but my view is that we must do all we can to support officer numbers. If that can be achieved by reducing the police estate further then that should be given serious consideration."

ACC Michele Larmour, force lead for local policing, said: "Many of these sites have been part of the police estate for a number of years and as such, we understand local communities may feel a connection to specific buildings. However many of our buildings have high running costs, are poorly located and are not fit for future operational purposes.

"The force's ambition as we move forward is to ensure a high quality policing service to the people of the West Midlands.

"It is vital we continue to question how much we invest in our estate and continue to maximise the service we provide to our communities. None of these sites are open to the public and it's important to remember policing is about people not buildings."

James Morris, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, has launched a petition against the closure of Halesowen station.

He said:"West Midlands Police need to get their priorities straight. They are spending £33 million on refurbishing Lloyd House in Birmingham while proposing to close Halesowen Police Station. These proposals do not make sense, and I will be fighting them tooth and nail.

"Halesowen's police station is an important local service which many people rely on. West Midlands Police need to spend their money more effectively to provide a proper neighbourhood policing service which people can rely and trust in.

"Halesowen needs to stand together in challenging these proposals."

Jack Dromey, MP for Birmingham Erdington and shadow policing minister, blamed Home Secretary Theresa May for the cuts.

He said: "Communities all over the West Midlands will be dismayed by the loss of their local police stations. The blame lies not with West Midlands Police who have prioritised front line policing above buildings in an effort to keep officers on the street. As the cuts continue to bite the police will be forced to make evermore difficult decisions.

"The public value neighbourhood policing and I know that West Midlands Police are doing all they can to keep officers on the frontline and keep the public safe. If the PCC supports the police's recommendations, the employment of 150 officers will be supported.

"Our police service should never have been forced to make such tough decisions, the direct result of huge cuts by Theresa May."

Ian Austin, MP for Dudley North, said police must continue to be based in Dudley.

He said: "I'm really disappointed about this, but I can't say I'm very surprised, because I thought this could happen if the front desk closed and if the Conservatives won the election and carried on cutting police budgets.

"We all know savings have to be made, but these closures and the loss of thousands of officers are a direct result of the Government's decision to hand West Midlands Police disproportionate cuts that are twice as deep as places like Surrey.

"We fought hard when they were closing the front desk to the public earlier this year, presenting a signed by 2,200 local people to Parliament, and taking our case to the policing minister, the chief constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

"It would be completely unacceptable for the police not to have officers based in the town and available for local people so I'll carry on campaigning to have a permanent police base in Dudley.

"It's now more important than ever for local people to add their name to our petition so we can push the Government, Dudley Council and West Midlands Police to find a way of keeping police based in the town."