Express and Star comment: Strong and stable police force is needed

Undoubtedly, there will be mitigation and perfectly plausible reasons given for the low level of standards found by the inspectors.

There is absolutely no doubting the dedication and hard work of the frontline police officers across all our local forces.

And senior officers face an extremely difficult task at a time of reduced budgets and approaching a decade of austerity measures from central government.

There are clearly no easy answers when it comes to resolving the many issues facing our police forces.

As far as Staffordshire Police is concerned, the picture seems to be a healthy one, although there are concerns over the answering of 101 calls.

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But those responsible for the delivery of police services across the West Midlands are likely to feel uncomfortable with the negative headlines and reaction to the report.

They must understand the frustration, and in some cases alarm, that members of the public will feel when reading some of the serious failings inspectors identified.

As this newspaper has noted many times, it has become an article of faith for senior figures in public service to blame their ills almost entirely on a lack of funding from the Conservative government.

Undoubtedly, in some respects they have good grounds for complaint.

The Conservatives have always prided themselves on being the party of law and order, yet Theresa May's limp-along administration is neither strong, nor stable enough to provide effective leadership.

Mrs May is also far too weak politically to go to the polls again, particularly given the awful mess she made of last year's general election.

It is probably just as well, because the prospect of a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour government would send shivers down the spines of many readers.

Given some of his views on crime and punishment – Mr Corbyn favours restorative justice over prison sentences – it would be fair to suggest that a few senior police officers may also be concerned at such a possibility.

There comes a point where those in charge of policing in our area have to simply make do with what they have got in terms of resources.

Can Chief Constable Dave Thompson put his hand on his heart and say that every effort is being put into effective, meaningful policing?

Questions must now be asked about the role of police and crime commissioners, and what they have achieved collectively.

They were intended to be a people's voice in the senior ranks of police management, a way for the public to hold those in charge to account.

At this point, their legacy looks like being little more than presiding over a huge rise in crime and the closure of dozens of police stations.

The priority of our police forces is not to make money.

It beggars belief that senior officers and crime commissioners could believe that people will be reassured by police stations closing down.

Were an effective public consultation to be carried out, it is a safe bet that very few people would be happy to see police stations shut and replaced with mobile offices, or whatever the latest trendy initiative is.

Ask the man in the street what is needed from our police force.

The answer would be bobbies on the beat, a real person at the end of the phone line, and proper sentences for criminals.

There is no sense at the moment that those at the top of the chain truly understand what it is like to be a victim of crime.

Serious failings exist within West Midlands Police that go far wider than the HMIC findings.

These issues need to be resolved from the very top, and that starts with the Prime Minister.