West Midlands Police shake-up: New faces at the helm as chief sets out plan to tackle soaring crime

People can expect to see more officers on the beat in local areas – which will be something of a novelty after the force largely vanished from view over a decade of austerity.

And Craig Guildford is adamant that crime reports will be dealt with in a timely manner, while under his watch there will be more arrests and a greater emphasis on prevention than in previous years.

But with more resources dedicated to the front line comes a new level of accountability on the shoulders of the seven area commanders tasked with delivering the chief's new policing model.

Put bluntly, they will be expected to produce results.

"I'm very much of the school that the local commander controls all the resources and gets on with policing the problems that the local area faces," Mr Guildford told the Express & Star. "I prefer that and I think people prefer that.

"What we are doing brings us much closer to the public and increases local ownership, and with that comes accountability. My job is to serve the public. The public want to see more local officers and they want to see more arrests. I'm determined to deliver."

The chosen area commanders are some of the force's most experienced and most trusted senior officers. They include Phil Dolby in Walsall, who has been a uniformed officer for his entire 27 years of service and has spent the last two years forging links with communities across the borough.

Then there's Richard Fisher, who started on the beat in Wolverhampton the best part of three decades ago and is now leading the city's local policing team.

As well as holding decades of experience between them, the seven commanders have been at the forefront of some of the force's biggest operations, investigations and cases.

Dudley's chief, Anthony Tagg, helped bring down the far-right group National Action as the force's lead on counter terrorism, while Solihull's commander Andy Beard ran the policing operation for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.

They are now tasked with making a success of Mr Guildford's rejig of how the force operates. The Chief Constable says he began planning the new model long before he started with the force in December.

He said an emphasis on neighbourhood policing had worked well at his previous force in Nottinghamshire, where the crime rate dropped during his time at the helm.

Mr Guildford now hopes for a similar impact in the West Midlands, where crime has surged in recent years – with particular areas of concern including youth violence, knife crime, burglary, robbery, theft and domestic violence.

He says the decision to refocus on local policing units had been "made easier" by an uplift programme that has seen the force take on around 1,200 extra officers since 2019.

And he doesn't mince his words when it comes to the devastating impact of austerity on policing.

"For a long time, post-austerity, with the reduction in the headcount, we really did suffer," the Chief Constable said. "We have been able to build numbers back up over the last few years, although not to the levels they were.

"We are still about 800 to 1,000 down on what we had in 2010, and other forces nationally have got the highest number of officers in their histories.

"There is no doubt we are in a better position, but this isn't just about funding for police forces.

"We can't police our way out of some of these issues that we're dealing with. We need a collaborative approach, and things like youth provision and outreach also need the right resources.

"Some of that support went by the wayside during austerity. If we are going to do this properly going forward, there has to be sufficient investment across the board.

"With the position we are in now as a force, I think it is the right time to be investing in local policing."

Mr Guildford was unable to confirm how many officers would be deployed in each local team, but said the number would be "substantial".

He said he wanted officers to be spending their shifts on the streets rather than behind desks or ferrying detainees to custody suites.

They would be based in the neighbourhoods where they serve, he said, before insisting people will see "more local cops working from local police stations".

And while he confirmed there would not be "any further closures of front desks", he said the force could make more use of shared accommodation with other agencies.

Asked for his view on the police estates programme – brought in by his predecessor Sir David Thompson to save cash – that resulted in dozens of police stations and bases being shut down, he said: "While I'm not a believer in closing police stations and front desks, you have to remember that here in the West Midlands we still have a very healthy number of police stations compared to other forces. My position is clear – less square feet, more on the beat.

"I want more 'doers' out there, and if that means we have to share accommodation and perhaps sit in a two-bedroom semi instead of a five-bedroom detached, then I'm perfectly okay with that."

Despite the Government uplift programme winding down, Mr Guildford said he was determined to take on extra officers over the next 12 months and has pledged to create "more local jobs for local people".

He also said he was committed to replacing retiring officers with new recruits, while his pledge to increase the arrest rate will be helped with the opening of custody suites in Stetchford and Bloxwich – meaning officers won't need to spend chunks of their shifts on the road.

Mr Guildford concedes that there's a strong element of traditional policing in his plans.

He said: "It is about trying to take the best that we can learn from our history. But we must also apply some of the common sense and knowledge that we get from our IT systems to try and address the problem of an increased amount of demand and vulnerability that we deal with, such as mental health and other concerns for safety.

"At the same time it is important that we are responding to those crimes and incidents that the police need to be seen to be getting a grip of."

One such issue he is determined to "get a grip of" is anti-social behaviour, with the region set to get targeted support to reduce levels of ASB through a Government pilot scheme.

The Chief Constable said there was an element of 'broken windows' theory to his plans, whereby dealing with more minor issues could discourage more serious crimes.

"We need to be aware that as well as dealing with the big events such as football matches, the Commonwealth Games, we need to be good at the quality of life issues that impact people on a daily basis," he said.

"We are heavy on enforcement and prevention, and I am committed to dedicating resources to all crimes that cause the public angst.

"We must be big enough to cope, and small enough to care."

Meet the area commanders taking responsibility for policing the West Midlands

Walsall – Phil Dolby

Phil Dolby, who survived a battle with Covid during the pandemic, says basing more officers locally will benefit the people of Walsall.

"Our intention is that we will get to you more quickly and more often," he said. "Together with our partners we are going to working on local priorities to make our communities safer."

He is the current chair of the Safer Walsall Partnership, which aims to bring local groups and organisations together for the good of the borough.

Now in his 27th year as a copper, he has played a key role in Project Guardian, the force's effort to tackle serious youth violence and knife crime.

Coventry – Pete Henrick

A former aerospace engineer, Ch Supt Henrick achieved a lifetime ambition when he joined West Midlands Police 23 years ago.

He has worked in a number of departments across the force, including local policing, response, force intelligence, CID, criminal justice and public protection.

A commander in Coventry since 2021, he said he wants to build on the last 18 months, which have seen "an increase in arrests, more offenders brought to justice and a reduction in the levels of serious violence".

Wolverhampton – Richard Fisher

Ch Supt Fisher has worked across the whole region during 27 years with West Midlands Police, having started as a PC in Wolverhampton.

He has led major policing operations, including Wolves-Baggies derbies, and served as a Dudley commander before returning to the city in 2021.

He was also lead for the Olympic Torch Relay through the West Midlands in 2012.

He said he is committed to driving down crime, adding: "I want to ensure we do our very best to respond to calls for help when people need us."

Sandwell – Maria Fox

Ch Supt considered becoming a minister before joining the police in 1994.

After starting out with Greater Manchester Police, she came to the West Midlands in 2009 and has undertaken roles in uniform and as a detective at every rank.

She battled back from personal issues with mental and physical health to take up the role as Sandwell's commander.

Her team is "ready to rise to any challenge" she said, and was focused on community safety priorities.

Ch Supt Fox said she was committed to reducing serious youth violence, burglary, robbery and vehicle crime, and "providing a visible and timely response to the public when they call us for help".

Dudley – Anthony Tagg

A former shop manager, Ch Supt Tagg joined West Midlands Police in 2001 and has worked in response, investigations and local policing.

He said: "Since I joined the team at Dudley, I have been absolutely committed to reducing those neighbourhood crimes that impact people most; burglary, robbery and vehicle crime.

I am also committed to tackling drug supply in Dudley which causes misery to people and communities. I also want to hear the priorities all of the communities across the borough and enable them to get involved in making Dudley even safer."

Ch Supt Tagg played a key role in bringing down the far-right group National Action as the force's lead on counter terrorism.

Birmingham – Richard North

Ch Supt North joined West Midlands Police in 2016 after 17 years with Thames Valley Police, where he worked in a range of different roles, including CID, public protection and local policing.

He has been force Superintendent for domestic abuse and been in charge of the Birmingham West neighbourhood policing unit. He described Birmingham as a "great place to test and develop yourself".

Ch Supt North said his priority as commander is to "improve people’s experience when they are the victims of crime".

He said: "In the past we have decided what is important to prioritise - there is an opportunity to now align our services more to local issues and the things that directly affect people. We want to deliver a service that works more for local people."

Solihull – Andy Beard

Ch Supt Beard joined West Midlands Police in 1994 and has spent the majority of his career in operational uniformed roles.

A former Wolverhampton commander who has worked across five of the region's seven local council areas, he was recently police commander at the Alexandra Stadium for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games.

He says his priority is to improve the force's response to dealing with calls from the public and partners, provide a better quality of service to victims and witnesses and bring more offenders to justice.

"We want to deliver a local police service that communities can trust and have confidence in," he added.