West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner election
On 2nd May 2024, voters in the West Midlands will have their say on who represents them at Local council level; who will be the Mayor of the West Midlands and who will become the Police and Crime Commissioner. In our series of election specials, we hear from the candidates who want your votes.
Tom Byrne
Conservative Party candidate
I’m Tom Byrne, your Conservative candidate for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
I served the West Midlands, the region I call home, as a police officer for over five years. I’ve walked the beat, attended serious incidents, and later in my career commanded the response to firearms incidents – you won’t find many people in this election with the experience I have.
I know just how important strong leadership is to delivering effective policing.
This election really matters. The role of PCC is an important one: the PCC sets multi-million pound budgets and sets policing priorities for the region.
Since 2012, the people of the West Midlands have been let down by a succession of Labour PCCs. We have the highest rate of knife crime in the country,[1] our police force is in special measures, and the Labour PCC has recently announced plans to close at least 30 police stations across the West Midlands.
This can’t go on. It’s time for fresh leadership, to put an end to years of Labour failure.
My knowledge and understanding of policing, grounded in first-hand experience, make me the best person to get a grip on crime in our region. We need to halt our police station closures and strengthen local policing, whilst driving up the performance of our police force.
I have a clear plan to make our region safer:
- Immediately halt the proposed police station closures – and conduct a full review of the police estate.
- Stop bureaucratic and wasteful spending and return to proper local policing – deploying more officers to the frontline and ensuring their time is spent fighting crime.
- Crack down on violent crime, especially offences involving knives and weapons.
- Seize criminals’ ill-gotten gains and use the Proceeds of Crime Act to bolster the frontline and support victims.
- Get our police force out of special measures, drive up performance, and restore public confidence.
We deserve to feel safe in our communities, to have a visible local policing presence, and to know that the police force is there to provide a prompt and empathetic response when we need it – and I am the person to deliver this.
I am determined to make our region safer.
[1] Source: ONS police-recorded crime statistics, incidents of knife crime per 100,000 population, year ending September 2023.
About Tom Byrne (About Tom Byrne | Tom Byrne)
Tom Byrne served the West Midlands as a police officer for over five years, for two years as a neighbourhood police officer in Moseley and Kings Heath in Birmingham, and later as a Sergeant, and subsequently to Inspector, he now wishes to draw on that experience on the frontline as the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.
As an officer, he engaged with communities and worked with colleagues within and beyond policing to tackle local priorities. As a sergeant, he led and motivated a team of officers who risked their lives daily. During his time in the police, Tom saw first-hand the devastating impact of crime and anti-social behaviour in the West Midlands. Now he wants to put forward his plan, his key points that he wants to address as a PCC are:
- Immediately halt the proposed police station closures
- Deploy more officers to the frontline to fight crime.
- Crack down on violent crime – especially offences involving knives and weapons.
- Return to proper local policing, with more officers on our streets.
- Get our police force out of special measures, drive up performance, and restore public confidence.
Outside of his candidacy, some key points about Tom:
Personal Achievements:
He learned the value of hard work and resilience from an early age and was the only person in his year to secure a place at Oxbridge, graduating from Cambridge with a 2:1 in Politics and International Relations.
Voluntary and Community Work:
From 2022 to 2023, he served on the board of Trustees of Birmingham Crisis Centre, a large domestic abuse refuge supporting many victims and their families.
Tom was therefore delighted last year to give back to his old school, The Polesworth School, by joining the Board of Governors.
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