Trustees
Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Below you will find who the trustees for Building Blocks are and a bit about them.
Wasim Ali
Wasim Ali has been appointed as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner in the West Midlands, having spent the previous three years as Assistant PCC.
Wasim was formerly Chair of the Sandwell Shadow Youth Cabinet and later became Chair of UK Youth Voice, which works with more than 800,000 young people to get them active in youth participation through voluntary opportunities.
His advocacy work has seen him working with 10 Downing Street and speaking up for young people at various events including in the House of Lords chamber and the European Parliament in Strasburg.
Mike O’Hara
Mike O’Hara is one of our Assistant Chief Constables (ACC) and currently holds the operations portfolio.
As part of this role he is also the regional lead officer for:
- Public order and public safety (POPS)
- firearms
- Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents (CBRN)
Mike joined West Midlands Police in 1996 and has worked in the Black Country, Birmingham and Coventry. Mike has held senior roles in response and local policing. He was also the police commander for Coventry, leading the force partnership for the City of Culture 2021.
Mike is a keen sportsman and is the chair of the West Midlands Police Boxing Section. He lives in the region and has three children.
Jonathan Jardine
Jonathan Jardine has been Chief Executive of the West Midlands Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner since 2015, having joined West Midlands Police Authority in 2008.
Previously he worked with local government, the military, academia and the health sector. He has undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of Wales, has studied at the University of Illinois, and completed the College of Policing Strategic Command Course in 2020.
He has been Chair of the Association of Policing and Crime Chief Executives since 2022.
Peter Gillett
Pete Gillett is the Director of Commercial and People Services for West Midlands Police, having held the role since June 2022. He has over 30 years’ experience in public sector finance and senior management. Before joining West Midlands, he undertook the role of Director of Commercial and Financial Services jointly for both Sussex and Surrey police forces.
A CIPFA qualified Accountant, he has also previously been Chief Finance Officer at three local authorities. During his career he has become renowned for both service transformation, and for implementing alternative service delivery models, including innovative partnerships with the private sector.
Jane Heppel
Jane is the Chief Finance Officer for the Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands. She has worked in Policing for 8 years, moving to Policing from a previous long career in local authority finance.
She has experience of being on a charity Board, having held board roles for Penderels Trust and RSVP, since 2019. Jane brings an understanding of charity finance and governance to the Board.
Charitable Objectives
Charities have charitable objectives that define its specific purpose and what it has been set up to achieve. They highlight that the charity’s purpose is for the public benefit and the organisation satisfies all other requirements for registration as a charity. These objectives guide the charity’s actions, as well as help maintain transparency and accountability.
Below are the charitable objectives for Building Blocks, as outlined on the Charity Commission website.
Building Blocks aims…
“To advance the education of the public in particular young people in all matters relating to alcohol, drug and solvent abuse (and the consequent effects of such abuse) and to the effects of crime generally. To promote or support activities which encourage the mental, moral and physical development of young people (whilst diverting them away from crime and or drug, alcohol or solvent abuse). To promote for the public benefit a safer and increased quality of life through the prevention of crime and the protection of people and property from criminal acts. To undertake such other charitable activities as the trustees may from time to time determine.”
Please find Building Blocks on the Charity Commission here.
