Dear Resident,

I thought you'd want to hear the good news. Smethwick police base will not close, after the region’s elected Police and Crime Commissioner agreed a plan to divide the building to maintain a police presence in the town.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford - who is responsible for how we use our buildings - recommended to the PCC that we retain part of the site.

Those plans were agreed by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, who has legal responsibility for all West Midlands Police buildings.

The base has been formally listed for closure since 2021 and was due to be sold later this year.

Following relatively minor alterations, links between the station and former courthouse will be cut, making them two separate and secure sites.

Part of the building and car park will now be retained for police use, with the remainder sold.

West Bromwich police station remains the public contact point where people can talk to us face to face if they prefer that over our telephone and online reporting options.

This is great news for local people and our hardworking officers who have strong connections with the town.

The decision to split the site is innovative. It allows us to maintain a base in the town, work from a smaller site that is better suited to the number of people working there and greatly reduces our running costs.

The money raised from the sale of the surplus part of the building will be re-invested into West Midlands Police.

The reduced running costs will go towards the ongoing efficiency savings to protect frontline policing.

Under our published estates strategy, Smethwick police base was due to be put up for sale in December 2024.

That was paused while the review took place and the precise plans to split the building were finalised.

The unoccupied part of the site will be advertised for sale in the coming months.

The altered site will house the Smethwick neighbourhood policing team who focus on fixing long-term problems in the town and response officers who manage emergency incidents.

Approximately 583 crimes are recorded across the whole of Smethwick each month.

Total crime in the area is down by about 100 offences compared to the same period last year. This is despite the population in the town continuing to grow to nearly 56,5000.

The neighbourhood policing team’s current priorities for the town are stopping serious violence involving young people, arresting drug dealers and working with businesses to stop shop theft.

You can find out more about our buildings and our plans for them at: westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk