West Midlands Police chief constable on the beat to help with surge in calls
The man at the top of West Midlands Police joined officers on the ground for a night to help deal with a surge in demand.
Chief Constable Dave Thompson worked alongside colleagues to help clear backlogged calls on Wednesday night.
He started his shift recording a domestic abuse incident and then seeing a woman about her brother’s mental health.
He then helped officers deal with another domestic abuse incident in Stechford in Birmingham before attending a complaint over criminal damage.
From his Twitter account, he posted a picture of his frontline uniform and said: “Owing to the huge demand in recent weeks the force is deploying officers from many roles to help clear backlogged calls.”
Following his shift, he said more time should be spent talking to people to deal with incidents, but said the force lacked the time.
He also said there was ‘so much vulnerability’ in the centre of Birmingham.
He added: “Amusing reflections: The reaction when your victim realises you are the Chief (pleased).”
Last week, it was revealed how the number of frontline police officers in the West Midlands had fallen over the past year.
The force had 5,630 officers available for frontline duties in March this year – down 566 from 2017.
The number of police officers across England and Wales has dropped to its lowest level since 1996 and comes as crime across the region has risen by 13 per cent, with the latest figures showing huge spikes in violent crime and robberies. It has led the Police Federation to warn that ‘policing in the UK is on the critical list’.
