Calls made for region's policing powers to be handed over to West Midlands Mayor

Conservative Jay Singh-Sohal called for the change as he criticised current Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster of being "highly political".

The previous Tory candidate for the police job, who finished second behind Mr Foster last year, said the overall role established back in 2012 had simply not worked.

But calls to merge the role and bring it under the West Midlands Mayor has sparked a fierce reaction – with Mr Foster describing it as engaging in a "hostile takeover".

Plans to combine both positions were rejected in 2019 when the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) voted against it with a majority of nine against five.

Mr Singh-Sohal, who wants the change to be made for the 2024 election, said: "We've had PCCs across the country, and in the West Midlands, for a decade now and we've not seen an improvement in the performance of the force – or indeed trust and confidence in policing here.

"It's not worked and there could be any number of reasons why it hasn't, but I believe – and why I stood for the role – is that it needs someone who won't play politics, someone who will work with the Government, the mayor and local leaders to focus on that sole issue of getting crime down. What we do have is a Labour PCC constantly blaming the Government, talking down the force and how there's not enough resource – there's not been any leadership that's been effective for the region.

"We've had lots of politicking, lots of resource squandered and that focus on tackling criminality has been watered down.

"What we need now is what I believe is an evolution, where you have the policing role (and the mayor's other powers) to reach into the West Midlands to tackle some of the causes of crime, by offering a joined-up approach. London already has these police powers and so does Manchester and West Yorkshire.

"We run the risk of the West Midlands falling behind the others who can galavanise others through these powers. They have the synergy of one office, if they need to tackle youth crime they can offer jobs and training or intervention and can do it swiftly."

Mr Singh-Sohal said a deputy role could be created to have a sole focus on policing whilst still maintaining the "synergy" across the board, with the mayor already being responsible for housing, transport, skills and unemployment.

And this would help to tackle the "causes of criminality" by being able to intervene quickly to tackle levels of poverty, social deprivation or harmful attitudes – whilst enhancing accountability and democracy, potentially by introducing an assembly-style membership as they have in London.

Meanwhile Julian Knight, MP for Solihull, supported the calls and accused the Labour PCC of "not providing strong political leadership – and the merger would be something he will be pushing the Home Office on.

Mr Foster, who is against the idea of a merger, called the suggestion "deeply divisive" and undemocratic – and something which was contrary to the Levelling Up agenda for the region.

He said: "I believe the role of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner should be democratically elected by and directly accountable to, the people. I believe in the right of the people to vote and exercise their choice.

"Mayor Street wants to abolish your right to vote for your Police and Crime Commissioner, engage in a hostile takeover and remove people’s choice, so that he can personally appoint a Deputy Mayor, based on patronage.

"That would be deeply divisive and profoundly undemocratic. It would reduce the democratic scrutiny and oversight of policing to a secondary function. It is contrary to the wider goal of levelling up and would severely damage working relations within the West Midlands Combined Authority."