Petitions signed by more than 5,000 against police station closures in the Black Country handed in

Jay Singh-Sohal, who has spearheaded the campaign, handed them over to Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson's office.

The petitions concerned stations in Aldridge, Tipton and Wednesfield – earmarked for closure under West Midlands Police's controversial estates scheme.

It was brought in by Mr Jamieson and Chief Constable Dave Thompson to save officer jobs in the wake of budget cuts, but has been delayed due to Covid-19.

Conservative candidate Mr Singh-Sohal, who is vying for the crime commissioner role, said the Labour PCC needed to "do more" with stations – instead of trying to axe them.

Mr Singh-Sohal said: "The fact that thousands of people have signed these petitions illustrates the huge level of concern over the plans to close local police stations.

"Communities across the region are desperate to keep their police stations and the local police presence they bring. I would like to thank everyone who has taken time to make their voice heard on this issue.

"I want to stop police station closures because I know just how vital they are to keeping people safe and deterring criminals.

"The argument that closures will save money simply does not wash for taxpayers who are paying more in policing precept annually while millions more is spent on refurbishment and new builds in Birmingham.

"We need to do more with the police stations we have, not less, and I will invest in them to benefit the communities they serve.

"What’s more, we are currently seeing the recruitment of hundreds of extra police officers for the region. We need police stations to stay open, so these new officers can be based locally, in the communities they serve."

Aldridge's Police Station's front desk closed in 2015 with the rest of the building earmarked to shut in spring of this year – alongside Tipton's police station and the Wednesfield police station.

It prompted backlash from MPs in the area who raised concerns over a lack of local policing and feared the areas could be left "vulnerable to criminals" if the stations were closed.

A further 3,000 people have signed petitions to save stations serving Solihull and Sutton Coldfield which are also threatened under the proposals.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "We have lost over 2,000 officers since 2010 and are only due to get just over half of them back.

"Police buildings have to be downsized because of government cuts, nevertheless it is likely that the estates programme will be delayed by the Covid crisis.

"Due to the huge cuts we have faced over the last decade we have had to prioritise officer numbers over largely empty buildings. It is a shame that many people who supported and voted for cuts to policing are now complaining about the consequences of them.

"I have written to the government to urge them to consider sharing empty space within West Midlands police buildings to house civil servants moving out of London. This would be an excellent way for them to deliver on their levelling up agenda, as well as providing an income to keep police buildings open."