Office for National Statistics data on crime in the West Midlands has been released today (Thursday) covering the period September 2022 up to the end of September 2023.
Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green said: “We have been working very hard over the past 12 months to improve the force and since changing our operating model in April last year we have made substantial and sustained improvements in some important areas.
“Today’s statistics show a big reduction in overall crime by 6% (22,573 offences) compared to the same period the previous year. We’ve also seen considerable decreases in the amount of violent crime in particular violence against a person of 11% (17,949 offences) and most serious violence dropped by 10% (451 offences).
“We have also seen a fall in the number of rapes and sexual offence crimes by 5% (249 offences) and 4% (464 offences) respectively, and the ONS stats show that stalking and harassment has reduced by over 20% (11,462 offences).
“We have made many changes to the way we work and the way the force is now structured to operate in the most efficient and effective way possible. The data released shows the early indications of our improved performance however this data is already nearly four months old and further improvements will be evident over the coming months.”
Since implementing the new local policing model, we have opened two more custody suites and increased the number of people we arrest. We have also increased the number of offenders brought to justice and this continues to improve each month.
Since April, our Force Contact staff have answered nearly 674,000 emergency calls (999s), and 92% of these calls have been answered in under 10 seconds with the average call taken at five seconds.
We’re currently answering non-emergency 101 calls in less than one minute compared to last year when the average wait time was over 29 minutes. We got to these calls last month in under 50 seconds. We’re also responding to those calls for help more quickly now that our response officers are based locally.
As a result of the changes we have made, our data continues to show significant reductions in crime. Our most recent force level data shows that overall crime is 9% lower than 2023 year to date and we are now seeing reductions in burglary and vehicle crime.
DCC Green said: “Our officers and staff remain focused on doing their very best to keep the public safe and bring offenders to justice.
“Knife crime and serious violence remains a top priority for the force. We understand the devastating impact these crimes have and we are continuing to work to reduce offending and ultimately save lives.
“However, the police can’t solve this issue on our own. It is a shared responsibility across the West Midlands, and policing works closely with partners through the Violence Reduction Partnership. This means together we can focus on the causes of violence and the reasons why young people get drawn into a life of crime to deter and divert young people from criminal and anti-social activities.
“Our work is ongoing and it’s important we all play a part in continuing to reduce violence.”