West Midlands Mayor calls for transfer of police and crime commissioner powers

The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, has requested the Government transfer Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) powers and functions to the West Midlands Mayoralty after claiming the current policing governance structure is "not working".

Street, who has been leading the West Midlands Combined Authority since 2017, wrote in a letter to the Home Secretary that combining the Mayor's unique convening power with the transfer of PCC powers would allow the Mayor to join up public services and "drive improvements across the criminal justice system more broadly".

PCC powers can now be transferred to combined authority mayors under section 62 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, which received royal assent last month.

"The West Midlands Mayor's role has a range of responsibilities encompassing transport, housing, and the delivery of adult education in the region," Street wrote.

"Transferring PCC powers and functions to the Mayoralty will enable the Mayor to use all of the policy levers at their disposal to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the region."

He said that this "new synergy" could include building crime prevention considerations into the allocation of WMCA regeneration funding, enabling the WMCA to "design out crime and ASB on our streets".

It could also allow the combined authority to develop "skills offers" to rehabilitate offenders, would create a single point of accountability, and would save taxpayer money, he added.

Street highlighted figures from the ONS that show the number of crimes recorded by the police in the region has more than doubled over the last eight years. He also said that the region's violent crime statistics "are amongst the worst in the country".

"Judging by the worrying increase in crime levels since the West Midlands has had a Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in place, it is clear that the current PCC model is not holding West Midlands Police well enough to account to drive down crime," Street claimed.

According to Street, the combined authority has carried out preparatory work in anticipation of a transfer, with help from the Home Office, Office of the PCC and West Midlands Police.

The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, must initiate the process in order to transfer PCC powers to the combined authority.

If approved, the transfer would take place in May 2024, when the incumbent commissioner's term is set to end.

Adam Carey