West Midlands Police aiming to be ‘greenest force’
More electric vehicles will be rolled out across West Midlands Police to ensure it becomes the "greenest" force in the country – and meets its net zero goal.
Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said he no longer wants the force to be contributing to global warming, and it should instead be more green.
And he has set a goal for the force to become net zero by 2035 through more electric vehicles, insulating police stations, more solar panels and other methods.
Organisations often achieve net zero by cutting greenhouse gas emissions they produce and by ensuring the ones they do produce are removed from the atmosphere.
Mr Foster said: In my Police and Crime Plan, I committed to making West Midlands Police the greenest police force in the country.
"As a large public sector organisation, we want to lead by example, save money for the taxpayer and make a real difference. I am pleased West Midlands Police is now working towards becoming a net zero organisation by 2035.
"It is the right thing to do for the police, the people of our region and, in the long term, it is likely to save the force considerable energy costs."
The force is already investing in 68 marked and unmarked police vehicles, including cars and vans, and is assessing every building for its suitability to install more charging points. The move comes amid the cost-of-living crisis, with energy bills soaring.
Pete Gillett, director of commercial services for West Midlands Police, said: “Our new strategy sets out our ambitions and the wide range of activities we’ll carry out to make sure we reach them.
“There’ll be challenges as well as opportunities to use new technologies and ways of working. But I hope we can all see the benefits that the changes will bring – both in terms of protecting the planet and in saving money too, as increasing energy prices dominate the headlines.
