Ahead of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review announcement on 11 June, Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands (PCC), Simon Foster, has issued a strong call for the return of the 700 police officers the region has lost since 2010.
The PCC is urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use this week’s Spending Review to restore frontline policing numbers in the West Midlands to pre-austerity levels, warning that communities across the region are being short-changed and left vulnerable due to historic underfunding.
“The people of the West Midlands have been short-changed for far too long,” outlined PCC Simon Foster, who secured an additional 150 neighbourhood officers for West Midlands Police earlier this year.
“We still have nearly 700 fewer police officers than in 2010, despite rising demand and increasing complexity in the nature of crime. However, many other police force areas now have more police officers, than they have ever had in their force histories. That is not fair and it is not just. The West Midlands has been short changed for far too long. It’s time for the Government to take this opportunity to put that right.”
The PCC is also calling for a fairer funding formula that allocates resources based on actual demand and need, rather than outdated metrics that disadvantage urban forces like West Midlands Police.
“We need a funding model that reflects the real pressures on policing in our region,” he added. “The current formula is broken and unfit for purpose. It fails to account for the scale of demand we face, from serious organised crime to safeguarding vulnerable people. This is not about more money. It is about delivering a fairer allocation of funding, to keep our people and communities safe and secure.”
The 2025 Spending Review will set departmental budgets for the years 2026/27 to 2028/29, with investment plans extending to 2029/30. PCC Simon Foster is urging the Government to seize this opportunity to invest in public safety and deliver the resources West Midlands Police needs to protect and serve its communities effectively.
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