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Police chief: No more resources to deal with hidden crimes

West Midlands Police has 'no more resources' available to deal with crimes including child abuse and domestic violence, the force's top officer has said.

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Chief Constable Dave Thompson

Chief Constable Dave Thompson said that due to funding shortages the force was struggling to cater for a steep rise in so-called 'hidden' crimes – which also include child sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation and human trafficking.

WMP says such crimes tend to affect the most vulnerable people in society and are characterised by victims often showing an unwillingness to come forward through fear.

Mr Thompson said that the force had worked to encourage victims to come forward, a policy that had seen reports of 'hidden' crimes increase drastically over the last two years.

But a report to the strategic policing and crime board, said: "The rise in policing of vulnerability will not be wholly met through technological advances, employee awareness, tasking or streamlining of the Public Protection Unit.

"As a consequence, choices will need to be made regarding making further reductions in other areas of policing or the adoption of different approaches to the management of vulnerability.

"The force cannot be certain it will be able to match future policing need in the area of vulnerability without success in reducing demand, changes to service levels or significant investment."

It added that the force was 'committed to continuous improvement' and aimed to 'provide a better level of service to the vulnerable', with the Public Protection Unit taking on 50 extra staff last year.

Mr Thompson said that despite the force focusing on crimes against the vulnerable, the well had run dry.

He said that as officer numbers had dwindled, resources dedicated to 'hidden' crimes had risen 'quite significantly' and was expected to go up further.

But he said that unlike in other areas of policing, it was not an area where technological advances or changes in reporting methods could save the force money.

"It's a very labour intensive area of policing," he added. "We are really clear. There are no more resources to go into this area."

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: "This lays bare the growing demands on the police. It is quite right that previously ‘hidden’ crimes are now a major priority for police forces.

"The force has had to massively increase the resources attached to investigating crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual assaults. With budgets stretched we have struggled to backfill the departments from which that resource was liberated.

"It is clear with more victims coming forward that there will be extremely difficult decisions to come. Officers themselves are saying that it ‘cannot be certain it will be able to meet future policing need without success in reducing demand, changes to service levels or significant investment.’

"The Government need to listen to the stark warnings from West Midlands Police and change course on police funding."