Saqib has welcomed the Police and Crime Commissioner consultation and fully supports the merger of the roles of Mayor of the West Midlands and the Police and Crime Commissioner. This consultation focuses on the transfer of the powers of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) to the Mayor of the West Midlands and will conclude on the 31st of January 2024. It is aimed at those who live or work in the West Midlands and provides an opportunity for everyone to have a say in the structure of police governance in the West Midlands. Saqib wants to encourage everyone to get involved in the consultation by sharing their thoughts on policing in their community, this issue is of the utmost importance across the West Midlands and can only be properly addressed with the input of everyone across the region. To get involved with the consultation people can visit https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/west-midlands-police-and-crime-commissioner-functions-transfer to use the online platform, or they can email their views to [email protected].
Saqib fully supports the merger of the role of the Mayor of the West Midlands and the Police and Crime Commissioner. He believes that the mayoral model is best placed to succeed in holding the West Midlands Police to account and make our community safer. Using the mayoral model would enable a more holistic approach to policing as it would allow crime prevention to be considered when allocating regeneration funding. This would allow programmes that tackle the root causes of crime and anti-social behaviour to be instituted and more innovative approaches to be developed.
The West Midlands has suffered from crime more than doubling in the last eight years under the PCC model, despite in recent years, the West Midlands Police seeing an increase in funding and recruitment, leading to over 1300 new police officers. The leadership failings of successive Labour PCC have led to the planned closures of police stations in both Chelmsley Wood and Solihull. The failure to provide a serious plan to secure both police stations is a prime example of why the Police and Crime Commissioner role is failing. A visible police presence is needed to deter criminals and ensure that residents are confident in the police’s ability to serve them effectively.
In the coming year, the West Midlands Police will receive a record £789.4m of funding from the government, this must be used to effectively tackle crime across the region and deliver the police service that our community deserves.
Commenting on the consultation, Saqib said:
“Despite record policing numbers delivered by this Conservative government and record funding, the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner has failed to combat crime in our communities and in our borough. I am in no doubt that my constituents and residents across Solihull borough have been let down by successive Labour Police and Crime Commissioners. With a record uplift to almost £800m there really is no excuse. The rising level of crime leaves me under no illusion that we are being short-changed. None of us should have to fear for our lives, families, or our property.”
