Tipton police station to reopen after community campaign

A police station in one of the most crime-hit neighbourhoods in the Black Country is to fully reopen to the public thanks to a community campaign.

Tipton police station will be pressed back into service following a U-turn by West Midlands Police, which listed it for closure as part of a £5 million cost-cutting plan. Tipton was earmarked to close in 2021 alongside stations such as Brierley Hill, Oldbury and Wednesfield, with others in Birmingham including Balsall Heath, Sutton Coldfield, Kingstanding and Harborne.

But local MP Shaun Bailey has won the support of government for an all-new 999 response unit which will include a new home for 24 officers who’ll be stationed at the Upper Church Lane HQ.

The Tipton MP said: “We’ve won our campaign to keep this police station open; we’ve saved Tipton police station and we’re going to have 24 new officers here. We’re going to have a 999 response here and a front-door service as well. This is down to our campaign, it’s as simple as that.

“The truth is, Labour have run police in the West Midlands for 12 years and they’ve decimated community policing despite record funding, I mean, it’s the second-largest funded police force in England and Wales.

“But we’ve gone ahead and won this campaign. We’ve kept this police station open and, even better, we’ve got it being used for stuff and that’s the most important thing. It’s all down to the community in Tipton getting behind the campaign I launched three years ago, and we’ve saved Tipton police station.”

Speaking previously in regard to the closure of local police stations, West Midlands crime commissioner Simon Foster said: “The plans put forward will maintain the current number of publicly accessible front desks, keep local officers based in their communities and modernise the estate to make it fit for a 21st century police force.

“These plans will save money too, which will be re-invested in protecting essential police officer numbers to keep people and their families safe and secure 100 officer posts a year rely on the £5 million savings from the estates programme. Without those savings officer numbers will fall further.”

According to latest police figures, close to 500 crimes were reported in the month of May in Tipton alone, with half of those incidents violence and sexual offences.

Tipton MP Mr Bailey, meanwhile, believes the reopening of Tipton station will have a huge benefit to the community. He said: “This will improve police presence in the town and reduce response times on callouts. This is alongside confirmation that two regular policing teams will be based out of the station, meaning over 20 officers are expected to call the station home.

“With crime rates rising in the West Midlands by 14 per cent in the last year, it is hoped that this successful campaign to ‘save our station’ will go some way in tackling the epidemic of anti-social behaviour that residents of Tipton have suffered.”