West Midlands Police saw 39 officers sacked in 2024, a rise from the prior year, amidst focus on accountability and public complaint handling.
Leaders said it’s tough to sack officers, but they want to remove the “unsuitable” ones. Public complaints went up by five percent. They think it’s because it’s easier to complain now.
Alethea Fuller spoke about the new police chief, saying he focuses on good behavior. She confirmed the dismissal numbers from earlier; more officers got fired this time.
Police appeal cases also went up. Two cases occurred back in 2023, and six appeal cases happened in 2024.
Fuller mentioned the rise in complaints. They got 4,175 complaints this past year. The new process sped up filing complaints. This made the resolution time longer; it went from about 90 days to almost 150.
They also have a review process now. They did 104 reviews this past year and reviews took only 26 days to complete. They agreed with 20 of those reviews, that’s eight more than before.
Simon Foster spoke about his role. He takes his responsibilities seriously. He wants the police to be the best they can be. He wants to help prevent crime, and wants to keep everyone safe.
