Halesowen MP, James Morris visited the offices of Simon Foster, West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner, to hand in a petition against proposals to close Halesowen Police Station

He was joined on Friday 25th February by Belle Vale Councillor Simon Phipps and Halesowen North campaigner Mitchell Bolton. 

Over 600 people living in or near to Halesowen signed a petition on James’s website that ran between November 2021 and January 2022, and this was submitted. Additionally, a petition ran on the same issue by Halesowen’s Conservative Councillors has generated over 800 signatures and has also been submitted to the PCC. 

Plans unveiled by West Midlands Police last Autumn outlined proposals to close the stations in Brierley Hill and Halesowen and build a new ‘super station’ in Dudley, that would house the neighbourhood teams and the forces to respond to 999 calls.

Similar proposals were also mooted by the previous PCC, David Jamieson, in which James led the fight back to ensure that Halesowen maintained a physical Police presence in the town. James said:

“Having campaigned in previous years against the closure of Halesowen Police Station, I was disappointed to see that another PCC has come forward again with plans to close it and relocate resources nearly six miles away.

“Our force is benefitting from nearly £40m in extra funding this year, as well as extra officers through the Government’s major recruitment drive, and I do not believe there is a case to be made for the closure of our station. 

“Over the past year I’ve working with Police, Councillors and local residents in Halesowen on a number of issues, including speeding on Long Lane, anti-social behaviour in and around Hawne Park, a rise in burglaries and car crime on the Abbeyfields Estate and issues with car cruising along the A456.

“The local knowledge of Police Officers, and their ability to respond to major incidents quickly, is key to reassuring residents that their communities are safe.  I hope that the PCC will take note of local opinion and reconsider these proposals.”