West Midlands Police (WMP) is due to recruit a further 590 police officers by the year 2020. The boost in officers is part of the government’s £750,000,000 scheme to better equip forces across the country. 

The West Midlands region covers Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, and the Black Country.

The government’s scheme plans to implement a total of 20,000 police officers nationwide by 2022, meaning the investment will span over a three year period.

However, the increase may only work to replenish the force and suffice the decrease of police numbers in the past. According to Birmingham Live, the country has seen a 14% drop in the number of police officers since 2010, bringing the overall figure of officers down to 20,564.

There are currently 6,496 full time officers operating within the region to combat crime. Despite this, WMP reported that knife crime has risen by 85% and gun crime by a third since 2012. On the other hand, crimes such as vehicle crime and burglary are slowly declining.

The new officers will be situated in areas of high crime, such as Birmingham city centre. Home Secretary Priti Patel said ‘This means the people of the West Midlands will benefit from having nearly 600 more officers to help stop criminals in their tracks.’

Speaking to Redbrick, one current student, Joshua Latham-Phillips, stated that ‘the increase of officers is welcome’ but also claimed that ‘the damage is set in the community’s head and will not be forgotten lightly’ – regarding the cuts in police numbers in recent years.

Mr Latham-Phillips also pointed to the ‘increase in friends and family buying security cameras to feel safe where the police had previously failed.’ 

The incentive hopes to reduce crime and make Birmingham and the West Midlands a safer place for people to live and work in.