Stourbridge MP, Suzanne Webb has again called for a police station to return to the town after she met with local retailers to discuss their concerns around anti-social behaviour and crime.

The meetings took place following the stabbing of a 14-year-old in the Ryemarket Shopping Centre earlier this month with another teenager being injured in the attack.

Suzanne met with Ryemarket centre manager, Aaron Powell to discuss the incident and spoke with retailers in the town centre, many of whom are concerned about the situation. Suzanne said:

“I am being told loud and clear across the town centre that anti-social behaviour has increased in the last six months and this is leading to more crime.

“The latest appalling incident has shocked many and I share that shock and the concern that this issue should be a priority for the police and the Police and Crime Commissioner. There are specific concerns around the Stourbridge car park and I welcome the council spending £150,000 on CCTV in that location.

“But what many said, and I fully support, is that a police station or, at the very least a permanent base for police officers in the town centre, is what is needed right now.

“Local people want the reassurance of a visible police presence in our town and since the closure of the police station by the then PCC in 2017, Stourbridge has been forgotten in my view.

“We need our police station back. It is what I want to see happen, it is what many retailers would like to see happen and it is what the majority of Stourbridge residents want to see happen.

“The shocking incident this month has now amplified those feelings and concerns. I urge the PCC to act and work with me so we can reinstate the much needed police station."