INSPECTORS assessing the UK police forces have concluded West Midlands Police understands the communities it serves, grasps the public’s concerns and treats people fairly.

West Midlands Police were assessed on how it speaks to the public, its neighbourhood policing reach, its call handling and its complaints procedure, and was rated ‘good’ overall.

Louisa Rolfe, West Midlands’ police deputy chief constable, said: “The public we serve play a vital role in helping us keep our communities safe. In every interaction with one of our officers or staff − either face-to-face, on the phone or online − I want it to be a positive experience and that they leave with a feeling we’re on their side.

“We listen to our communities and during the HMIC review period we surveyed almost 17,000 residents to better understand their views.”

West Midlands Police were scrutinised for their use of Taser and stop and search and its handling of public complaints.

DCC Rolfe added: “We’ve noted there are some small areas for improvement: HMIC said they would like us to be more detailed when recording the outcome of stop and searches and we will address that point.”

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary released its Legitimacy Report today, and deemed the force had a focus on local policing with neighbourhood officers, used a range of communications to keep the public informed, and regularly surveyed residents’ views.

David Jamieson, West Midlands’ police and crime commissioner, said: “I would like to congratulate West Midlands Police for this positive report. The hard work of officers and staff is clearly paying off.”