West Midlands Police vow to redouble efforts in wake of crime rise
A senior police officer has vowed to improve the force's service to communities in the West Midlands in the wake of shock new crime figures.
West Midlands Police Deputy Chief Constable Louisa Rolfe said violent crime remained a priority for the force, and said senior officers were working together to identify how to 'achieve more with an 'already stretched workforce'.
Last week's Office for National Statistics figures revealed at 30 per cent jump in the murder rate in the West Midlands, with huge increases in violent crime, weapons possession offences and knife crime.
Overall, crime went up by 10 per cent in the force area.
DCC Rolfe said: “The figures published showing the increase in crime affecting our communities in the West Midlands mirrors that for England and Wales and is actually lower than some similar forces policing comparable areas in the UK.
“We have experienced cuts to our budget at a time of increased organised crime and an increased terror threat, however we are determined to maximise our resources to improve our service to our communities.
“We continue to focus on the crimes that do most harm, in the face of unprecedented demand with calls to our 999 service increasing by 10,000 per year in the last two years.
"Encouragingly our online webchat is seeing an average of 500 chats per day, meaning people are using the new service.
“We appreciate people’s concerns about violent crime and continue to treat this as a priority for the force."
WMP recently launched its #lifeorknife campaign, which encouraged young people to talk about issues surrounding knife crime.
It comes after DCC Rolfe wrote a blog post to police staff where she admitted that members of the public had been told to let offenders go as there was not enough officers available to deal with them.
She added: “We continue to invest in technology and officers have been equipped with smartphones, enabling them to access the latest intelligence on individuals, vehicles and addresses, plus get information on crime patterns in particular areas, while on the move and not be tied to a desk, giving them more time out and about.
“Last week my blog, encouraging the force to improve performance, was published and senior officers from across the force have worked together to identify how we can support our already stretched workforce and achieve more for the people of the West Midlands.”
