Dudley 'forgotten and neglected' over lack of permanent police leader, councillor says

Councillor Shaz Saleem, highways and public realm chief, called for something to be done amid rising concerns over arson attacks and anti-social behaviour.

It comes after Chief Superintendent Kim Madrill, who was embroiled in a row with the council's leader, moved on to another role within West Midlands Police.

The chief superintendent has since been replaced by Claire Caddick on a temporary basis who, in turn, will be replaced by another police official, Councillor Saleem has said.

It has led to him calling for something to be done over the issue, with someone permanent put in place to spearhead policing in the borough and help tackle crime.

Councillor Saleem said: "We've had Kim Madrill who left earlier this year and then we had Claire Caddick. I arranged a meeting with her because I want to deal with anti-social behaviour, and other crimes, and wanted help from police to ensure we're doing that.

"I wanted to get the police involved on these issues and I was disappointed to hear she was only here on a temporary basis – and she had cancelled the meeting. And they've got someone else coming in on a temporary basis.

"Dudley needs a chief superintendent, someone at the top to lead the way. I've got a great relationship with the neighbourhood teams, but on a borough-wide scale I want to replicate that and I find it's very frustrating.

"Recently, in our borough, we've had about 10 cases of arson attacks and one house was actually destroyed completely on Wolverhampton Road. That is a big concern for me. If we've got issues like that I want to nip it in the bud and deal with it – but again, those concerns I want to raise to the chief superintendent to handle this and it's just frustrating we don't have a permanent one."

Councillor Saleem said he felt officials had been "neglecting Dudley, as simple as that" and added the borough had been "forgotten about" because there was no one permanent in place.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "Due to recent promotions and the operational requirement for the Commonwealth Games, there have been some temporary senior lead moves to ensure we provide cover across the force.

"Chief Superintendent Anthony Tagg is due to start his post at Dudley soon and brings with him a wealth of policing experience. Additional senior leads and policing teams across the neighbourhood continue to keep our Dudley community safe and prevent crime."