'Return our 1,000 missing police officers', demands West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner
West Midlands Police has lost 25 per cent of its officers due to the Government "defunding the force by £175m", according to the area's Police and Crime Commissioner, who is demanding "the return of our 1,000 missing police officers".
In a damning statement, Simon Foster accused the government of "failing" the West Midlands through "reckless financial cuts" to the police.
He also said that government austerity measures were responsible for the closure of more than 600 police stations nationwide.
Foster's condemnation of the Government comes as the union Unison warns that police forces in the West Midlands could face a combined budget shortfall of more than £55m by 2026.
According to Unison, the worst affected force in the region is West Midlands Police with a projected deficit of £33.5m, followed by West Mercia Police with a projected deficit of £11.7m.
Together, the two forces will have a combined budget deficit of more than £45m in just three years' time, with Unison warning that this could put public safety at risk.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said: "The people of the West Midlands have a right to expect that the government get the basics right. However, it is a matter of serious concern to me and the people of the West Midlands that the government is failing in this respect.
"Between 2010 and 2019, central government defunded West Midlands Police in the sum of £175 million, with the consequential loss of 2,221 police officers – 25 per cent of our police officers - many hundreds of essential police staff, including 300 Police Community Support Officers and community policing was dismantled.
"The government’s strategy of austerity also led to the closure of over 600 police stations, across the country.
"In addition, the government imposed reckless financial cuts on our essential preventative public services and our wider criminal justice system, with the consequence that our under-funded and over worked police service has been left to pick up the pieces.
"That was a big mistake, it was counter-productive and a false economy. It had a serious adverse impact on police presence and visibility, response times, the conduct of investigations and the ability of West Midlands Police to prevent, tackle and reduce crime.
"The West Midlands Police Budget remains under severe pressure. I am committed to calling on the government to return our 1,000 missing police officers and our essential police staff and to provide fair funding for West Midlands Police."
Unison West Midlands regional secretary Ravi Subramanian added: “Without more funding to plug these huge budget shortfalls, public confidence in the police will continue to fall.
“With fewer police staff to investigate cases and smaller numbers of police and community support officers patrolling local neighbourhoods, there’s a risk crime rates will climb.
“Severe cuts to police budgets will leave many forces in the West Midlands unable to protect communities or bring criminals to justice.
“Policing will become that much harder and staff will be left feeling increasingly anxious about their futures.
“These figures are yet another warning sign that policing is in deep crisis. Ministers must ensure forces can afford to recruit the right staff to fulfil their duties so officers can be out on the streets keeping people and their communities safe.”
However, a spokesperson for the Home Office said that West Midlands Police has an additional 1,376 additional officers due to the Home Office's police recruitment campaign.
The spokesperson said: "We now have more police officers in England and Wales than ever before, and through our police recruitment campaign West Midlands Police have 1,376 additional officers.
"We are dedicated to giving the police the resources they need to tackle crime, and locally elected PCCs must determine how best to fund their local forces through council tax.
"This financial year we are providing policing funding of up to £17.2 billion across England and Wales, an increase of up to £313.8m when compared to 2022/23.
"This includes up to £719.2m for West Midlands Police, an increase of up to £23.6m when compared to 2022/23."
The Home Office also told the Express & Star: "If forces or Police & Crime Commissioner’s feel they have the necessary evidence that would meet the criteria for additional funding, then they are encouraged to engage with Home Office officials where this can be reconsidered."
