David Jamieson: 500 more West Midlands Police officers needed to tackle crimewave

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has asked the Government for a funding boost of £42.2 million a year to bolster officer ranks, with more posts for detectives and neighbourhood teams a priority.

In a joint letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Mr Jamieson and Labour MP Liam Byrne said they want to see the force's number of officers back to at least 7,000 by 2020 – a figure which is still well below 2010 levels.

The force currently has around 6,500 officers – around 2,000 less than it did eight years ago – while violent crime has shot up by 60 per cent over the last three years.

Labour PCC Mr Jamieson said that as well as new officers the cash boost would cover pay increases and inflation pressures.

He said that in the last financial year there were 40,000 more 999 calls than the year before, over 27,000 more crimes recorded and 3,000 more violent incidents in the West Midlands.

“West Midlands Police has been hit harder than almost any other force in the country despite facing bigger threats than anywhere outside London," he said.

“We’ve been cut by £145 million and despite a relentless efficiency drive have lost over 2,000 officers.

“Cuts to the police and other services have caused crime to increase.

“Next year, just to standstill, West Midlands Police requires £17m of additional funds to mitigate the impact of inflation and government mandated pay increases.

“With a further £25.2m per year we could increase our police officer numbers by 500 to 7,000 by 2020 and make a huge difference to crime fighting across the region.

“The increased funding would strengthen neighbourhood teams and the number of detectives in particular.

“Without the additional resources I am not sure the force will have enough officers to meet the public’s demands.”

Former Home Office Minister, Mr Byrne, said: “The Government must change course and give West Midlands Police the funding it needs to fight crime.

“Officer numbers have fallen and crime has risen. It is hitting Birmingham and the West Midlands particularly hard.

“The Government should listen to the Police Commissioner and his Chief Constable who have consistently warned about the impact of huge cuts.

“If the Government delivers and puts the funding in place, those officers will make a huge difference to local communities suffering from crime.”

PCC David Jamieson has also formally written to the Chancellor as part of the Budget and comprehensive spending review.