Police and Crime Commissioner pledges 800 new officers for the West Midlands
WEST Midlands Police is to recruit 800 new officers, the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner has confirmed.
An additional 200 support staff and 150 Police Community Support Officers will also be joining the force, David Jamieson has said.
However, even such a significant number will only be sufficient to cover those officers already due to leave, the Police Federation has claimed.
The new recruits will be enrolled in a series of stages over the next three years, with recruitment starting in the autumn.
Mr Jamieson said: “My top pledges during my election in May were to recruit police officers, protect PCSOs and put specialist staff in place to tackle the new threats we face. I am delivering on those promises.
“These new police officers and PCSOs will help make our streets safer and tackle crime. This recruitment is at nearly double the rate of my previous term in office and is only happening because of the tough decisions that have been taken to make West Midlands Police more efficient.”
He said West Midlands Police had faced the biggest cuts of any force in the country and was receiving £2.5m less from the government again this year.
“This recruitment of more than 1,000 officers and staff shows that we have the right priorities for the force,” added Mr Jamieson.
The force’s last recruitment drive in 2014 saw 450 successful applicants, who were placed on the beat at the end of last year.
West Midlands Police Chief Constable Dave Thompson said added: “It is great news that we again have an opportunity to welcome a new group of recruits into West Midlands Police, which will help us to provide an even better service by bringing fresh ideas into our workforce, directly from the communities we serve.”
However, the Police Federation – effectively the police union – said the 800 officers would only cover the number of officers due to leave the force through normal channels, such as retirement.
Steve Grange, secretary of the federation in the West Midlands, said this would effectively mean overall numbers remained static.
