Rank and file police in plea to review station closures across the West Midlands

Figures show nearly eighty per cent of the region's police stations with public-facing front desks have closed down in the last decade – with just four left in the Black Country.

Now the leader of rank and file officers has called on Chief Constable Craig Guildford to put an end to the closures, which were instigated by his predecessor Sir David Thompson to cut costs.

Police Federation chair Richard Cooke, who represents 7,500 officers, said the lack of stations had hit community policing hard.

He told the Express & Star: "A town centre with a police station is part of the social fabric of our society. Sadly, in the last 10 years we have retreated out of so many areas.

"It's something I have always disagreed with and the idea that police officers can be out all day long without a base to return to is totally wrong.

"Despite all the technology they still have to go back to the station to do crime recording. The shortage of stations means that officers are having to race around from job to job and don't have time to stop in the communities to see what's going on."

According to official figures, in 2010 there were 44 police stations with front desks in the West Midlands, including 19 in the Black Country.

By 2020 all but 10 of them had been closed down, with only West Bromwich, Wolverhampton, Brierley Hill and Bloxwich left across the four Black Country boroughs.

The closures include Dudley police station, which shut down in 2017 and has been sold off and transformed into flats.

Stourbridge police station has undergone a similar redevelopment since closing, while Halesowen’s station in Laurel Lane is in line to be sold off after its front desk closed six years ago.

Wednesfield’s front counter closed in the same year, with the station on Alfred Squire Road due to shut for good in 2025.

Dozens of police bases and other buildings have also been axed.

Sgt Cooke has called for a fresh review into the force's estates to "ensure that no other stations are taken away".

He said that ideally there would be a police station "in every town and city in the West Midlands".

"Money is tight so I don't expect any new ones to open," he said. "So realistically we need to focus on maintaining the ones we have got and not selling them off.

"We can't afford to lose any more stations."

The West Midlands Police estate was last reviewed in 2021 by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, who signed off on the closure of another seven sites in the Black Country to secure £5 million in savings.

He said the move would ensure that no more front desks would close to the public and that local officers would be “kept in their communities”.

“Since 2010 West Midlands Police has lost £175million, and even after recent and planned increases in officer numbers, we will still be missing 1,000 officers compared to a decade ago,” he said.

“I will protect police officer numbers, whilst calling on the government to return our 1,000 missing officers and provide a fair funding deal for the West Midlands.”

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said the force had continued to invest in neighbourhood policing despite financial pressures.

"We’ve been through significant change over the last few years as we have reviewed and developed the force estate and buildings to become more flexible, sustainable and appropriate for a modern policing service.

"Our force estates strategy earmarked buildings which were not fit-for-purpose; and where savings could be made to help protect policing services in the future.

"We will continue to work in partnership to ensure future estate changes are based on the operational and financial needs of our force to enable us to become more efficient and effective at preventing crime and protecting the public."

Mr Guildford has pledged to focus on neighbourhood policing when he takes over next month.

In a recent interview with the Star, outgoing chief Sir David said he had "no regrets" over closing stations, many of which he claimed were not fit for purpose.