West Midlands Police in secret plans to axe 300 top cops

Sep 5 2010 Exclusive by Jeanette Oldham, Sunday Mercury

Asked what impact the news had had on the few force employees aware of the proposed plans, a source said: “This has caused a lot of discontentment among those who know what may be coming.

‘‘We put ourselves out for the job, often getting up at 3am. I think it’s left some people thinking: Why bother?

“The goodwill is evaporating. People haven’t got the heart for the job after this.”

On the potential consequences for policing in the West Midlands region, the officer added: “There are fears we could even go back to the Jack-the-Ripper-type days because getting rid of that many experienced police officers is going to decimate the skills the force has.

“Many of the officers who will be going under these plans are specialists and the combined skills and knowledge they have is enormous, truly invaluable. It’s what makes a key difference in policing.

“The senior officers who will be left will, on average, have about 15 years service.

‘‘Who’s going to suffer? The public of course. Things won’t be investigated. Members of the public may not know it yet, but they are not getting a fair deal.”

The move comes just weeks after West Midlands Police was criticised for spending £100,000 changing the colour of officer shirts to make them “more comfortable”.

The force has ordered 6,000 black and blue shirts because officers claimed the traditional white ones were too restrictive.

There have also been growing concerns about the force’s performance since Programme Paragon was launched in April, a far-reaching reorganisation aimed at saving £50 million which has seen thousands of officers moved to new roles.

Arrest, crime detection rates and 999 responsiveness rates have since plummeted. And the force has been served with three improvement notices by the Police Federation, which was concerned not enough officers were being deployed to 999 incidents.

In a statement, West Midlands Police admitted cuts were being considered.

It read: “In common with most other forces, we are considering applying Police Regulation A19, which would effectively require police officers to leave the service on a full pension, once they achieve 30 years pensionable service.

“Early discussions on these proposals are taking place with the Police Staff Associations and the Police Staff trade unions. No decisions have yet been made.”

A West Midlands Police Authority spokesman said: “The authority is well aware of the financial position facing this force and others and is expecting a series of reports over coming months that will relate to how the force will be responding to the situation as it becomes clearer.

“The objective of the police authority is to work with the force to minimise service reductions that will follow.”