Police finances 'worrying' after increased murder rate leads to overspend on staff
West Midlands Police will have to dip into its rainy day fund to meet a £5m overspend on support staff that was sparked by a rise in the murder rate over the past year.
The force has launched a number of costly investigations as the region's murder rate has shot up, leading to a increase in recruitment in areas such as Force Contact in order to meet increased demand.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner's chief finance officer, Mark Kenyon, says the overspend paints 'a worrying picture' of the force's finances.
Referring to a new financial monitoring report, he told a meeting of the strategic police board that part of the extra expenditure had been offset by savings in other areas, leaving a total overspend of £2.1m, or 0.04 per cent of the budget.
This meant the force would need to draw down on its reserves this year, he said. "Overall this paints quite a worrying picture in terms of the finances of the organisation," he added.
PCC David Jamieson said the force had dealt with an 'extraordinarily large' number of murders this year, giving the force little choice but to bring in extra staff.
He told the meeting: "This report does identify the enormous pressure on the force, with all the extra activity there has been.
"When you look at some of the areas where the extra activity has come, it is very difficult to see where you can do preventative work."
The murder rate across the region is up by more than 20 per cent and has reached its highest level since 2012-13.
Meanwhile Mr Jamieson has urged the force to take 'the very toughest action' following a recent spate of attacks against police officers across the region.
Last weekend saw an incident where two officers were assaulted – one of which was thrown down the stairs, while a safer travel officer was injured in a hot and run.
Other incidents saw an officer suffer a punctured lung, one officer was left with a cut hand after being slashed with a knife in Birmingham city centre, while another officer was left with a dislocated arm and collar bone.
And two officers were injured in a violent assault outside The Square Peg pub.
Mr Jamieson said: "Officers are under more pressure than ever and they, nor should anybody else, have to put up with being attacked whilst at work.
"There have been far too many incidents lately in which our brave officers have been attacked.
"Last week, the Protect the Protectors bill saw Royal assent and which will see the doubling of sentences for those who attack emergency workers.
"I hope that this will act as a greater deterrent for those who consider attacking police officers. My message is really clear, attacks against officers and staff is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated."
