Annual Report 2012 - West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

What we have done to consult with you 

The Authority’s consultation 

programme is a sustained 

and wide-ranging effort to 

gauge the views of the West 

Midlands public. We are 

very grateful to the 1,500 or 

so people, who, by various 

routes, gave us the benefit of 

their thoughts, opinions and 

experience. 

Here are the eight key areas 

which the consultation 

identified as priorities: 

1. Contact 

There was a feeling of 

confusion regarding the 

routes by which the public 

can contact the police on 

non-emergency matters. 

The 0845, 0345, and now 

101 numbers, as well as 

local authority telephone 

lines were all mentioned. 

2. Feedback 

Victims, witnesses and 

community activists (such as 

Neighbourhood Watch coordinators) 

want the Force to 

report back and tell people 

what is happening with their 

case or in their neighbourhood. 

3. Anti-social behaviour 

There was a growing 

recognition that this is a 

partnership issue, where 

effective joint working 

between a variety of 

organisations is fundamental 

to a successful response. 

4. Young people’s 

relationship with the police 

Young people were key to 

this year’s consultation, and 

were enthusiastic and 

forthright participants in a 

number of events. We 

learned a lot from their 

contributions, but a seam of 

concern remains regarding 

the interaction between 

young people and police. 

5. Society’s negative image 

of young people 

There was a fear that in 

order to address the threat 

posed by gangs, the police 

and other agencies would 

begin to regard young people 

merely socialising with their 

friends as a problem in need 

of a response. We found that 

young people were as 

appalled and disgusted as 

anyone by the riots in the 

summer of 2011. 

6. Business crime 

Listening to the experiences 

and expectations of 

businesses from across the 

West Midlands made it clear 

Working for you to ensure your police 

service can effectively meet your needs 

Email: police-authority@west-midlands.police.uk Phone: 0121 626 5143 Website: www.west-midlands-pa.gov.uk

just how important 

prioritising business crime 

will be in the future. 

7. Police & Crime 

Commissioners 

Respondents repeatedly 

expressed concern about 

the cost of the proposals, 

and questioned the ability of 

a single elected figure to 

represent the diversity of 

our 2.6 million residents. 

There was also a fear that 

the new governance 

structure was a move away 

from the localism which 

underpins neighbourhood 

policing. 

8. Budgetary pressure 

People were concerned 

about the impact of funding 

pressure. They were worried 

that their local police officers 

and Police Community 

Support Officers would be 

reduced in number or 

redeployed. Many were 

aware that police station 

front desks and police 

buildings are under review, 

and were concerned about 

what the consequences may 

be for local policing and 

hence crime and anti-social 

behaviour in their area. 

For the full consultation 

report visit: www.west-midlandspa.gov.uk/documents/committees/ 

public/2012/06_PolAuth_16Feb2012_PA_ 

Consultation_Results_Annex1.pdf 

Police Authority 

members honoured 

Authority colleagues of 

Cllr Diana Holl-Allen 

and Phil Holmes JP 

were delighted to hear 

that they had both been 

awarded MBEs in the 

Queen’s 2012 New Year 

Honours List. 

“I would like to extend 

my personal congratulations 

and those of my 

Authority colleagues to 

Councillor Diana Holl- 

Allen and Phil Holmes” 

said Bishop Derek 

Webley. 

Recognition of their 

considerable contribution 

to the work of the 

Authority and the 

communities of the 

West Midlands over a 

number of years is well 

deserved. 




Disorder in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, West Bromwich & elsewhere in August 2011 

There were two nights of 

violent disorder in the West 

Midlands, spanning from the 

evening of Monday 8 August 

to the early morning of 

Wednesday 10 August 2011. 

Three men died, shots were 

fired at the police and there 

were significant levels of 

looting and rioting. 

During the disturbances, 

Authority members met with 

and supported officers across 

the Force whilst also 

providing information to the 

public and their representatives. 

The challenge was not 

only related to the disturbances 

but also to 

maintaining visibility across 

the West Midlands with the 

hopes of preventing disorder 

elsewhere. 

Throughout the incident, we 

had support from our partners 

and the communities of the 

West Midlands. The strong 

community relationships built 

over years were not fractured 

by these events. We were 

united in our revulsion at the 

violence and disorder. We will 

not forget the lives which 

were tragically cut short, or 

the trauma of businesses 

wrecked. 

Two special meetings of the 

Authority were held, on 8 

September and 27 October 

2011, with specific focus on 

the riots. We had over 70 

members of the public at 

each meeting, demonstrating 

just how interested people 

were in what had happened. 

We filmed the first meeting in 

September, at which the 

Chief Constable presented 

his interim report on the riots. 

The video, and the Chief’s 

report, can both be found on 

our website: 

http://www.west-midlandspa.gov.uk/WMDisorders.asp 

Special Grant Payment 

The Police Authority has been 

granted all the money it 

requested from the Home 

Office to cover the cost of the 

August disorder. 

The Authority will receive 

£11,034,352, which includes 

funds to cover all claims made 

under the Riot Damages Act, 

a figure currently estimated at 

£4,016,852. The Special 

Grant payment also covers 

the operational costs of 

policing the disorder, which 

totalled £7,017,500. 

Bishop Derek Webley, said: 

“In view of the financial 

challenges facing the 

Authority at this time, we were 

delighted that the Home Office 

decided to award us this 

Special Grant money because 

of the much needed support 

this gives to small 

businesses.” 




Business Partnering for Police Programme 

The Authority and Force placed 

a notice in the Official Journal of 

the European Union (OJEU) in 

March 2012, asking for 

expressions of interest from 

suitably qualified external 

organisations to work with the 

Force, thus solidifying plans to 

develop closer links with the 

private sector. 

It is hoped that an effective 

partnership with the business 

sector will completely transform 

the way in which the Force 

currently does business – 

improving the service provided to 

the public in the process. 

Due to the length and value of 

the contract, which could be circa 

£1.5 billion over 10 years, the 

Authority was legally required to 

place a notice in the OJEU. 

The areas of service listed in this 

notice were deliberately broad to 

allow the Force to explore the 

skills, expertise and solutions 

which a partnership could bring. 

Not all the of activities listed in 

the OJEU notice will necessarily 

be included in the final scope but 

if the Force were to add other 

areas of business at a later date 

this would require a completely 

new and costly procurement 

exercise. 

This tendering exercise will last 

throughout the remainder of 

2012, meaning that a final 

decision on whether to enter into 

a contract will not come until after 

the election of the first West 

Midlands Police and Crime 

Commissioner in November. 

Authority Chair Derek Webley 

said, “The Authority will continue 

to give the programme close 

oversight and scrutiny, and will be 

assessing it at each stage. I 

emphasise that the final decision 

whether or not to enter into a 

contract will be made by the 

elected Police and Crime 

Commissioner, probably in early 

2013”. 

Equality, diversity and human rights (EDHR) report 

This year we have produced our 

second EDHR annual report, 

which describes how the 

Authority has met its equality 

objectives. 

In summary these are: 

• To address the Authority’s 

own ways of working and 

• To hold the Chief 

Constable to account regarding 

EDHR. 

Once again, this year we have 

been working with the Force to 

ensure that it is meeting its 

EDHR responsibilities. The 

Authority recognises that the 

Force is in a unique position to 

make a real difference to the 

lives of the most vulnerable 

people in our society. We as an 

Authority have encouraged an 

approach to EDHR, which is not 

just about complying with the 

law, but is also about actively 

working to provide a better 

service to all of the people of the 

West Midlands. 

The West Midlands is an area 

with a large and diverse 

population, and with many 

different policing needs. This is 

why the Authority is also 

committed to a continuous 

programme of training to keep 

pace with change. It is our aim to 

develop the confidence and 

capability of our own members 

and staff to enable them to 

challenge themselves and others 

regarding EDHR. For the 

remainder of its time in 

existence, the Authority will 

continue to champion EDHR and 

scrutinise the activity of the 

Force from your perspective. 

The report, which includes a 

thorough review of issues which 

have brought EDHR to the 

forefront of Authority business 

during the last year is available 

on our website at: 

www.west-midlands-pa.gov.uk/ 

documents/committees/ 

public/2012/16_PoliceAuthority_21J 

un1_% 

20EDHR_Annual_Report.pdf 




Police and Crime Commissioner Election November 2012 

On 15 November 2012, elections will take place across England and Wales and you will have the 

chance to elect the first ever Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands. The 

successful candidate will take up office on 22 November 2012. 

The current Police Authority will be dissolved and in future the PCC will set strategic objectives and 

hold the police to account. 

The statutory duties of the PCC will include: 

The appointment and assessment of the Chief Constable. 

Holding the Chief Constable to account for an effective and efficient police service on behalf of 

communities. 

Production of a Police and Crime Plan. 

Setting the budget and the Council Tax Precept. 

Producing an annual report detailing how the police and crime objectives have been met 

 

through the year and what resources have been required to achieve this. 

The PCC will need to formally consider the views of victims when formulating the police and 

crime objectives. 

In order to ensure that the PCC takes into account national policing requirements such as Counter 

Terrorism, cross-border policing and large scale public disorder, a Strategic Policing Requirement 

(SPR) has been developed which will become statutory when the PCC takes office. 

More information is available on our website: 

www.west-midlands-pa.gov.uk/crimecommissioner.asp. 

Commissioning of Community Safety Services 

From April 2013, PCCs will control funding which previously went to Community Safety 

Partnerships, known as the Community Safety Fund. The Home Office states that this funding 

is intended to ‘support local priorities which might include tackling drugs and crime, reducing 

offending, and improving community safety’. 

PCCs will also take control of the Home Office portion of the budget for the Drug Intervention 

Programme (or DIP), which provides interventions for drug-misusing offenders in the criminal 

justice system. 

There was a change to the Youth Crime and Substance Misuse Prevention Grant in April 2012, 

when 50 per cent of the budget was given to police authorities. It was seen by the Home Office 

as a way to help prepare the police and partners for the different commissioning of community 

safety services which will take place from 2013-14 onwards. This funding previously went to the 

Youth Offending Team through the Youth Justice Board. As of April 2013 however, PCCs will 

receive the full budget allocation. 

April 2014 sees the PCC receiving Victim Support funding for the West Midlands, although 

Victim Support’s Chief Executive Javed Khan has publicly opposed this move. This would 

involve commissioning services for victims and witnesses. 

While PCCs will have a ‘community safety duty’ it is important to be aware that none of this 

money will be ring-fenced, and there remains no current requirement for PCCs to invest in any 

particular community safety intervention. 




Financial information 2011-2012 

In 2011-12 total revenue spending was £557m, with a further £27m spend on capital projects. Given the changes under Priority Based 

Budgeting and in line with the Comprehensive Spending Review, many areas of spend have been significantly reduced throughout the 

year and also reflect the shrinking workforce. The key areas of spending were: 

People 

Policing is delivered by the 12,000 people who work for 

the Force as police officers, police staff and police 

community support officers. The total staffing costs for 

the year were £535m including the costs of the police 

staff redundancy scheme. 

Buildings 

We spent £22m on utilities, rates and maintenance of 

our buildings. The significant capital expenditure on 

buildings of £12m, was spent on West Bromwich Police 

Station, which was also funded by Tesco in exchange 

for the old West Bromwich Police Station. 

Vehicles 

We spent £11m on fuelling, maintaining and insuring our 

fleet of 1,700 cars, motor cycles, support vehicles and 

the force helicopter. In addition we spent £3.5m buying 

new vehicles and replacing old ones. 

Supplies and Services 

IT and communication systems are essential to policing 

and represent a significant area of our spending. We 

spent £16m on maintaining IT and communication 

systems, licences and telephones. In addition we made 

capital expenditure of £6m on implementing new and 

upgrading older IT systems and infrastructure. 

Other significant areas of spending included supplies 

and services with £5m spent on uniforms and 

equipment, £4m spent on medical advice and £2m on 

interpreters. 

Agency 

We spent £3m on forensic science costs and our 

contribution to the Police National Computer was £2m. 

Income 

We received £75m of income from additional grants, 

providing services, use of reserves and other 

recharges. This was in addition to our core government 

grant support of £498m. 

Did you know? 

During 2011-12 West Midlands Police continued to 

seize assets from criminals and as a result received 

over £2m back from the government. 

Revised 

budget 

2011-12 

£’000 

Actual 

spend 

2011-12 

£’000 



Variance 

2011-12 

£’000 

Police pay 414,240 407,495 -6745 

Police Community Support 21,693 19,384 -2,309 

Officers 

Support staff pay 109,131 102,974 -6,157 

Redundancy costs 0 2,766 2,766 

Other employee expenses 2,675 2,140 -535 

Sub total 547,739 534,759 -12,980 

Premises 25,640 21,897 -3,743 

Transport 9,683 10,668 985 

Supplies and services 51,096 49,693 -1,403 

Agency 8,797 7,563 -1,234 

Capital financing costs 7,028 6,240 -788 

External income -74,335 -75,040 -705 

Disorder and RDA costs 0 7,208 7,208 

Disorder and RDA income 0 -7,211 -7,211 

Police Authority 1,905 1,755 -150 

Net cost general fund 577,553 557,184 -20,369 

services 

Appropriations 

Contribution to budget reserve 0 20,369 20,369 

Net budget requirement 577,553 577,553 0 


Performance indicators and targets 2011-2012 

Each year we set targets in our 

Policing Plans to measure the 

progress the Force is making 

towards its aim of reducing crime 

and disorder and making our 

communities feel safer. The 

following tables summarise the 

achievements between 1 April 

2011 and 31 March 2012. 

The year 2011-2012 was the first 

year of a four year plan which 

coincides with the Government’s 

four year plan for budget cuts 

following the Comprehensive 

Spending Review. The 

Government also removed the 

national targets for policing 

including the single confidence 

target, leaving just one objective, 

namely that of cutting crime. 

A specific element of Force 

performance is presented 

against a suite of milestones 

outlined against each of the 

Force objectives. The Force 

milestones for the year were 

designed to improve trust and 

confidence, drive up service 

standards, and reduce and 

detect more crime than the 

previous year of 2010-2011. 

During the past 12 months, the 

Force has witnessed 

unprecedented change and 

policed several high profile 

incidents and events including: 

the 2011 disorders, the Liberal 

Democrats Party Conference 

and an English Defence League 

rally held in Birmingham. 

Against this backdrop, the Force 

achieved success in reducing 

crime levels in all six of the 

milestones for last year’s 

Policing Plan, achieving five out 

of six reduction milestones. 

Total Recorded Crime (TRC) 

was down by over 21,500 

recorded offences, equating to - 

10%, compared to 2010-11. 

This exceeded the Force 

milestone of -7% and total 

recorded crime is now at its 

lowest level for a decade. 

Doing the right things 

2010-11 2011-12 Difference Milestone Performance Variance 

Reduce total recorded crime 215,357 193,704 -21,653 -7.0 % -10.0 % 6,578 

Reduce most serious violence 2,971 2,694 -277 -9.0% -9.3% 9 

Reduce burglary dwelling 19,121 15,900 -3,221 -10.0% -16.8% 1,308 

Reduce robbery 9,028 7,273 -1,755 -10.0% -19.4% 852 

Reduce vehicle crime 28,239 24,068 -4,171 -10.0% -14.7% 1,347 

Reduce business crime 44,837 41,280 -3,557 -10.0% -7.9% 927 




Being productive and efficient Detected Recorded Milestone Performance Variance 

Detect most serious violence 1,176 2,694 50.0% 43.6% 171 

Detect burglary dwelling 1,799 15,900 15.0% 11.3% 586 

Detect robbery 1,507 7,273 19.0% 20.7% 125 

Detect vehicle crime 2,127 24,068 10.0% 8.8% 280 

Detect serious sexual offences 678 2,141 35.0% 31.6% 72 

Detect hate crime 1,093 2,540 40.0% 43.0% 77 

Involving our community and partners Milestone Performance Variance 

Public have confidence in police 88.0% 83.9% 4.1% 

Public perceive that police deal with things that matter 87.0% 83.5% 3.5% 

Public perceive that the police understand the issues 89.0% 86.3% 2.7% 

Public perceive that there is more crime 12.0% 14.6% 2.6% 

Public perceive there is more anti-social behaviour 13.0% 15.2% 2.2% 

Public perceive the police treat everyone fairly 90.0% 89.0% 1% 

Public perceive the police would treat them with respect 95.0% 93.6% 1.4% 

Public perceive the police work in the community 82.0% 80.7% 1.3% 

Public perceive relations with the police are good 90.0% 83.8% 6.2% 

Keeping our promises Milestone Performance Variance 

Customer satisfaction with police action - crime 86.0% 84.6% 1.4 

Customer satisfaction with feedback - crime 80.0% 78.6% 1.4 

Customer satisfaction with service - crime 88.0% 85.6% 2.4 

Customer satisfaction with police action - anti-social behaviour 71.0% 74.2% 3.2 

Customer satisfaction with feedback - anti-social behaviour 70.0% 68.0% 2.0 

Customer satisfaction with service - anti-social behaviour 76.0% 76.9% 0.9 

Public perceive that the police do a good job 88.0% 84.7% 3.3 

The Chief Constable’s report to the Police Authority on performance against the Strategic Plan 2011-2015, 

received at the Police Authority meeting held on 24 May 2012 can be viewed in full at: 

www.west-midlands-pa.gov.uk/documents/committees/ 

public/2012/08_PolAuth_24May2012_Performance_Against_Strategic_Plan_2011_15.pdf 




Community Initiatives Fund Awards 2011-12 

The Authority’s Community Initiatives Fund is designed to assist projects 

which can reduce crime and disorder. 

Some of the projects which have received funding from the Authority this 

year include: 

The Humaara project in Lye. This was an event designed to raise 

awareness and to educate and inform Asian women about community 

safety. 

Wolverhampton Sea Cadets Corps. This investment helped to 

increase security and improve outside lighting for their meeting 

premises. 

Fens Pool Play Scheme. This involved setting up a youth club on 

Friday evenings, to help young people develop new interests and 

keep them off the streets. 

Dudley North Neighbourhood Watch. Investment here helped to 

spread information about the benefits of NHW, thus making families 

and senior citizens feel safer in their homes and in their community. 

A police drop-in centre at Gender Matters Centre, Wolverhampton 

which enables people of the transgender community to regain 

confidence through contact with the police. 

Caldmore Village Festival; an event, which brings people together to 

celebrate their community through mutual respect and understanding. 

Solihull Make a Better Life Trust helpline, which offers victims of 

domestic abuse information and support. 

You can find out more about the Community Initiatives Fund by visiting: 

www.west-midlands-pa.gov.uk/comminitiativesfund.asp 




An update on Programme Paragon 

The Authority is closely 

involved with the 

implementation of work to 

ensure that the Force takes a 

rigorous approach to its 

continuous improvement 

programme and that maximum 

value is achieved in individual 

areas of work using a process 

called Priority Based Budgeting 

(PBB). 

PBB is one of the main 

vehicles for cost reduction, and 

is necessary to balance the 

budget over the Comprehensive 

Spending Review (CSR) 

period. Phase one of the 

project commenced in 

February 2011 and resulted in 

a package of cost reduction 

proposals totalling £25 million. 

Implementation of these 

options concluded at the end of 

March 2012. 

Phase two of PBB commenced 

in September 2011 and carried 

out detailed reviews into 44 

additional work areas across 

the Force. The culmination of 

this work was a package of 

cost reduction proposals which 

will be built into an amended 

2012-13 budget, before this 

budget is presented to the 

Police Authority in late summer 

2012. 

PBB has been a significant 

project, which has 

fundamentally challenged the 

way in which the Force 

considers and resources the 

services it delivers. The 

process challenges managers 

to identify different ways of 

working which enable the 

current service level to be 

maintained, although at a lower 

delivery cost. 

The process has identified a 

range of productivity and 

service level options, which 

together form a package of 

savings which is capable of 

delivering £16.0m to the 

funding shortfall currently 

estimated to be £24m in 2013- 

14. 

A report which sets out the 

outcomes and recommendations 

from Phase 2 of the PBB 

project can be downloaded at 

this link: www.west-midlandspa.gov.uk/documents/ 

committees/ 

public/2012/09_PolAuth_22March 

2012_Priority_Based_Budgetin 

g.pdf 

The West Midlands Police 

Continuous Improvement 

Programme (CIP), which 

commenced in mid December 

2010, is reviewing and making 

recommendations of a number 

of work streams which fall 

under the Local Policing remit, 

with a view to ensuring that 

Local Policing becomes a 

leaner, more purposeful, 

sustainable and affordable 

system of policing which can 

deliver improved public 

confidence. 

The programme has three 

objectives: 

• Identify and implement 

cost reduction opportunities in 

local policing. 

• Improve operational 

performance and the customer 

experience. 

• Build internal capability to 

roll changes out to other Local 

Policing Units and initiate other 

performance improvement 

projects. 

The programme is certainly 

challenging, particularly in the 

current context of the 

Comprehensive Spending 

Review, in addition to broader 

issues of police service 

pensions/pay as well as 

conditions and the scale of 

change. The Authority is 

working to ensure that the key 

risks are appropriately 

managed. 

At the heart of Paragon is a 

strategic intention to work more 

closely with Staffordshire Police 

and to actively ensure that we 

share services, where it is in 

the interests of the public. In 

June 2011, the Joint 

Committee agreed to a joint 

legal service provision, which 

came into effect in December 

2011. In May 2012, the 

committee gave approval to 

two further business proposals: 

• The creation of a single 

uniformed operations unit 

delivering the specialist 

services to both forces. 

• The option of a single 

justice services unit for 

Staffordshire and West 

Midlands. 




These were your Police Authority members in 2011-12 

Bishop Derek Webley 

Authority Chair 

Independent, Birmingham 

Cllr Judy Foster 

Authority Vice Chair 

Councillor, Dudley 

Cllr Diana Holl-Allen 

Authority Vice Chair 

Councillor, Solihull 

Prof. Ron Amann 


Cllr Mohammed Arif 

Councillor, Walsall 

Cllr Sucha Bains 

Councillor, Coventry 

Cllr David Caunt 

Councillor, Dudley 

Brendan Connor JP 

Independent, Coventry 

Cllr Keith Davies 

Councillor, Sandwell 

Cllr Ernie Hendricks 

Councillor, Birmingham 

Phil Holmes JP 

Independent, Walsall 

Roger Hughes 

Independent, Coventry 

Cllr Bob Jones 

Councillor, Wolverhampton 

Julia Lyle JP 

Independent, Solihull 

Jean McEntire 


Cllr Yvonne Mosquito 

Councillor, Birmingham 

Cllr Mohammed Arif’s term of office with the Police Authority 

ended in June 2012. We would like to thank him for the 

contribution he made to the work of the Authority during the 

time he was with us. 

Zahid Nawaz 

Independent, Wolverhampton 

Cllr Mohammed Nazir has replaced Cllr Arif. Cllr Nazir has 

returned after six years away and is warmly welcomed back 

on to the Authority.

Annual Report 2012 - West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner

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