More about this area

West Midlands is a predominantly urban area covering the cities of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry and districts of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall. Within the communities that we serve, 35% of the population are from ethnic minority backgrounds, with 46% of the population living in the top 20% most deprived wards in the country. West Midlands continues to see a higher rate than the national average of both structural and individual risk factors, such as drug/alcohol dependency and severe mental health problems, associated with domestic abuse, child abuse and serious youth violence. The force also faces significant threats from within and outside of the region from serious organised crime and exploitation, terrorism and extremism.

In April 2023 the force made significant changes to its operating model to ensure we are delivering an effective and efficient service to the public which enshrines the principle of local neighbourhood policing. Accountability on a local level enables us to meet the needs of the public better through optimised contact, resource allocation and incident management, all of which have seen significant increases in performance. We are committed to improving our investigative focus in order to protect the vulnerable and pursue those who cause communities harm. There has been extensive technical investment across many portfolios to enable the organisation to continuously improve which is complimented by our collaboration with other forces and organisations to deliver specialist services and capabilities.

West Midlands Police have met and then exceeded the officer uplift target. The injection of new staff has provided us with a renewed focus on ensuring the force is representative of our local communities to have the skills, talents and cultural awareness we need as both our communities and criminality change and adapt. However, it must be acknowledged that the force will still have 800 fewer officers now than it did in 2010, with significantly more challenges. Furthermore, the welcome addition of new officers comes with the requirement to induct, tutor and develop a significant proportion of the workforce, with 23.5% of the workforce having experienced less than 3 years’ service. West Midlands continues to face more demand than its proportion of total police funding accounts for.

West Midlands is a predominantly urban area covering the cities of Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry and districts of Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull and Walsall.

Home to a population of over 2.8 million, 35% from ethnic minority backgrounds, a high demographic of young people, with 46% of the population living in the top 20% most deprived wards in the country. West Midlands has a higher rate than the national average of both structural and individual risk factors, such as drug/alcohol dependency and severe mental health problems, associated with domestic abuse, child abuse and serious youth violence. The force also faces significant threats from within and outside of the region from serious organised crime and exploitation, terrorism and extremism. Post-pandemic, the force has experienced unprecedented demand and has worked tirelessly, alongside partner agencies, to support the most vulnerable in society.

The region’s youth and diversity are strengths, reflected in the national events it is hosting – Coventry City of Culture, Birmingham Commonwealth Games – as well as the positive engagement citizens have with public institutions and the public debate.  The force connects with the people of the region through neighbourhood policing, its citizens panels and advisory groups, WMNow service and other channels, such as live chat and SMS surveys. This is underpinned by its Citizen Charter and Service Standards which ensure that every contact counts.

West Midlands collaborates with other forces and organisations to deliver specialist services and capabilities: Legal Services, Forensic Services, Counter Terrorism Unit, Central Motorway Policing Group, Regional Organised Crime Unit and the National Ballistics Intelligence Service.

The force has made significant technical investment including the introduction of innovative digital and mobile capability to frontline officers, alongside more efficient and intelligent operational systems and an enhanced work environment.

The introduction of the policing uplift will begin to reverse the drastic workforce reductions of the last decade and bring new ways of thinking and working into the force, as it strives to build a more inclusive and representative workforce, alongside its drive for innovation and continuous improvement.  However, West Midlands still receives more demand than its proportion of total police funding accounts for.

The force has strong values of fairness, leadership and legitimacy to maintain its ambition to prevent crime, protect the public and help those in need.