Launching my Police and Crime Plan 2025-2029

I started my career in the law over 45 years ago and I have dedicated my entire adult professional life to the justice system. Access to justice, equality before the law and the rule of law, are fundamental principles upon which our democracy is based. They are matters about which I care deeply, profoundly and passionately.

I issued my first Police and Crime Plan in November 2021. The reason that I have now prepared and issued a second Police and Crime Plan (‘the Plan’) is because in May 2024, I was re-elected by the people of the West Midlands. The only honour and privilege greater than being elected by your fellow citizens, is to be re-elected by your fellow citizens.

It is often said the first duty of government, is to keep its people safe and secure. Policing, crime, community safety and criminal justice are matters of significant public concern and interest.

If anyone needs convincing, then knock on people’s doors across the West Midlands and ask them as I have done over the past 5 years, attend as many residents’ meetings, ward forums and civic events as I have done over the past 5 years, or check out the space devoted to these issues within the mainstream media and social media.

That is why, the role of the democratically elected and directly accountable Police and Crime Commissioner, whose one and only top priority, is preventing and tackling crime and the extensive and wide-ranging duties and responsibilities that accompany the role, is so very important, to justice, safety and security within the West Midlands.

My Plan is important, because I have a statutory duty to issue a Plan; it sets out the people’s needs, priorities and objectives for policing; it sets the strategic direction for policing; the Chief Constable must have regard to it, when implementing operational policing; and I will use it to hold West Midlands Police (‘WMP’) to account, on behalf of the people who have democratically elected me.

Over a 14 weeks period between July and October 2024, my team and I conducted a comprehensive, detailed and region wide 3 months long public consultation. I did that, because I wanted the consultation to be a truly accountable, transparent and participative process. I consulted with the Chief Constable and the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel. I am grateful to everyone who contributed. I have had regard to all responses and the Plan has benefited from them.

An Equality Impact Assessment has been prepared and that will accompany the Plan. That Assessment has been prepared, to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty and my duty to hold the Chief Constable to account, for the exercise of duties relating to equality and diversity, that are imposed upon him.

The Plan is comprehensive and it addresses the issues that matter to the people of the West Midlands, relating to crime, policing, community safety and criminal justice. However, three of the key priorities that are identified in the Plan are:

Firstly: Continuing to rebuild Community policing, because it is the foundation stone on which policing is built, because we say in our country, that we police by consent and there is no better illustration of that than community policing. We need an accessible, reassuring and visible presence out on the streets, keeping people, families, businesses and local communities safe and secure.

Secondly: Preventing and tackling violence, including youth violence and knife crime and Violence Against Women and Girls, because of the catastrophic and devastating consequences that are caused to victims, survivors, families and local communities.

Thirdly: Preventing and tackling crime and anti-social behaviour on our roads, to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads by 2030, because of the tragic and avoidable circumstances of these road collisions.

The Plan is based on my 6 key principles, all of which are necessary to ensure justice, safety and security for the people and communities of the West Midlands. They are:

Prevention, because the prevention of crime will always be better than having to deal with the consequences of crime;

Partnerships, because no matter how effective policing might be, the police cannot prevent and tackle crime all on their own;

Trust and confidence, because unless we have trust and confidence in our police service, we will not have an effective and efficient police service;

Bringing offenders to justice, because people who engage in criminal activity, must be held to account for their actions;

The rights and welfare of victims, because they must be at the forefront of policing and the wider criminal justice system; and

Finally: Rehabilitation, because it is a win-win, it will mean less crime, fewer victims of crime, less pressure on policing, our public services and criminal justice system, it will save tax payers money and provides an opportunity for people to turn their lives around and make a positive contribution to society

However, in addition to that, I emphasise the rights and welfare of victims, survivors and witnesses must always be at the forefront of policing and the wider criminal justice system, so that victims of crime are able to access the right help and support, at the right time and in the right place. The Victims Code must be complied with at all times and ensuring compliance will be central to my Plan.

Access to justice, equality before the law, the rule of law and human rights are basic principles upon which our democracy is built. These principles, together with diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, fairness, justice and equality are the basics, if WMP are to build trust and confidence and police by consent.

I will hold WMP officers and staff to the highest standards of conduct, ethics, integrity and professionalism, with a commitment to eliminating any and all forms of unlawful discrimination, including those based on racism, misogyny and homophobia.

WMP continues to be structurally and systemically under resourced. As a consequence of now having about 700 fewer police officers, 500 fewer Police Community Support Officers and a national police funding formula, that disproportionately disadvantages West Midlands Police in the sum of £40 million a year.

Yet, there are many police forces across the country, that now have more police officers than they have ever had in their Force histories. In addition, by way of a comparison with our most similar police force, Greater Manchester Police – that force now has an almost equivalent number of police officers to what it had in 2010 – and if we were to receive the same level of funding per head of population to that of GMP, then WMP would be £40 million pounds a year better off.

That is inexplicable and it is inexcusable: That is not fair, it is not just and it is not right and I will continue to campaign relentlessly for our fair allocation of police officers and for fair funding for WMP and for that wrong to be righted.

It is not acceptable, that we in the West Midlands continue to be short changed and ripped off, when it comes to our fair share of police resources – and this is not about more money – it is simply about us being allocated our fair share of existing resources and what most other police force areas already have.

However, despite all that: WMP has achieved against the odds and that has included:

• Transforming the 999 and 101 service, that is now one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country;
• Delivering faster emergency response times, and increasing the number of response hubs;
• Increasing the rates of arrests from about 3,800 a month to about 5,000 a month;
• Ensuring that more people are being brought to justice with rising positive outcome rates; and
• Cutting crime across communities, with a nearly 8% reduction in police recorded crime amounting to about 30,000 fewer victims of crime, across many different crime types, including burglary, robbery, vehicle crime, theft from the person, serious youth violence and knife crime

That is testament to the commitment, dedication, professionalism and hard work of our police officers and police staff.

During the course of my first term, I secured £46 million to invest in prevention and rehabilitation, so that crime does not happen in the first place and to promote the rights and welfare of victims. This year, a total of about £22 million will be invested in prevention and intervention, Community Safety Partnerships, our Violence Reduction Partnership, Victim Support Services and My Communities Fund.

I will be investing a record level £175 million into policing in the West Midlands, which together with Police Main Grant, will mean that the West Midlands Police Budget for 2025/2026 will be £790 million.

The progress that has been made is welcome. However, we cannot and we will not ever be complacent and I can assure you, that I will never be complacent, because one victim of crime is one too many.

Continuous improvement is required, to ensure that the people of the West Midlands receive the police service they are entitled to. This Plan aims to deliver an effective and efficient police service and that will include, amongst other matters:

• Continuing to re-build community policing;
• Tackling violence, in particular VAWG, youth violence and knife crime;
• Reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads;
• Improving the investigation of crime;
• Bringing more offenders to justice; and
• Prioritising the rights and welfare of victims, survivors and witnesses

This Plan is my pledge to the people of the West Midlands, to ensure constant and unremitting action to hold WMP to account and to work with the Chief Constable and collaboratively and collectively with partners across the region, because together we can and we will prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, promote community safety and keep the people, families, businesses and communities of the West Midlands safe and secure.

ABOUT OUR AUTHOR:

Simon Foster was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands in May 2021 and served until May 2024. He was then re-elected as PCC in May 2024 and will serve a four-year term.

Simon commenced his career in the law 45 years ago and practiced as a legal aid solicitor for 35 years. He has worked in a community law centre and in private practice. He was a partner in a law firm for 22 years. He specialised in Housing and Public Law.

As PCC, he has extensive and wide-ranging duties and responsibilities regarding policing, crime, community safety, violence reduction, victim support services and criminal justice.

In particular, he is responsible for preparing the regional Police and Crime Plan; setting the West Midlands Police budget and policing precept; and holding the Chief Constable and WMP to account, on behalf of the people and communities of the West Midlands.

As PCC he Chairs: the West Midlands Community Safety Strategic Board; the Violence Reduction Partnership Strategic Board; the Local Criminal Justice Board; the Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership and is the Senior Responsible Owner; the West Midlands Road Safety Strategic Group;

The PCC is the Association of Police Crime Commissioners national lead for Counter-Terrorism and Chairs the National Counter-Terrorism Strategic Board; and he is APCC Joint national lead for Serious Violence.