The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands will today set out his vision for the next four years, with the unveiling of his Police and Crime Plan.
Simon Foster will launch his comprehensive plan for the next four years, outlining a bold vision to deliver justice, safety and security across the region.
The Plan, developed after extensive and wide-ranging consultation with people and communities across the West Midlands, prioritises rebuilding community policing, preventing and tackling serious youth violence, including knife crime and violence against women and girls and improving road safety.
The PCC’s Plan reflects his commitment to confronting and addressing the most pressing challenges faced by the West Midlands. Key priorities include:
- Rebuilding Community Policing: Recognising the importance of an accessible, reassuring and visible presence, the plan emphasises increasing officers in local neighbourhoods, to deliver safety and security
- Working with partners to prevent and tackle youth violence and knife crime in the West Midlands: With a particular focus on youth violence and knife crime, the PCC aims to ensure robust policing, targeted early interventions, community-based initiatives and diversion, to prevent and tackle violence and protect young people
- Working with partners to prevent and tackle Violence Against Women and Girls in the West Midlands: The PCC is committed to combatting violence against women and girls through robust policing, preventative measures, and support services to ensure the rights and welfare of victims and survivors
- Working with partners to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on West Midlands roads by 2030: The plan aims to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads
The PCC will formally launch the Plan at an event in Sandwell today, March 26th, 2025, bringing together key partners and stakeholders, community leaders, and members of the public. The event will serve as an opportunity to outline the strategies and partnerships, that will drive delivery of the Plan over the next four years.
Mr Foster says he will also dedicate significant time and resources, to ensure the rights and welfare of victims are always at the forefront of policing and the wider criminal justice system, with partners complying with the requirements of the Victims Code.
At the launch of the plan, Simon Foster will address an invited audience, before the Chief Constable responds and the pair then take questions.
The Police and Crime Commissioner prepares and issues the West Midlands Police and Crime Plan, sets the police budget and police precept and holds the Chief Constable and West Midlands Police to account on behalf of the people. He also invests more than £22m on delivering services that prevent crime, promote community safety and support victims and survivors of crime.
That includes £6.7m, supporting victims and survivors of crime, immediately following their becoming victims and throughout their recovery journey. This might be victims of domestic abuse, violence, modern slavery, stalking, burglary, roads crime, any crime reported to the police or bereaved families of victims of crime.
The PCC also oversees the £5.8m investment for our Violence Reduction Partnership, a body which aims to prevent and reduce violence, by early intervention, diversion and addressing the underlying causes of violence. The Violence Reduction Partnership spends £5.8M in total: £4.4M on the Violence Reduction Partnership, £0.3M on delivering the statutory Serious Violence Duty and £1.1M on the Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV).
Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “This comprehensive Plan represents my vision for justice, safety and security in the West Midlands.
“It includes my commitments to continue to re-build community policing, to prevent and tackle violence against women and girls, youth violence and knife crime and to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
“I am committed to constant and unremitting action to prevent and tackle crime, promote community safety and keep the people, families, businesses and local communities of the West Midlands safe and secure.”
You can read the plan here.
