West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster has welcomed a significant reduction of a near-20 per cent drop in drug-related neighbourhood crime across the region.
The West Midlands Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership (WMCDAP) Progress Report 2025, published this month, shows that drug-related neighbourhood offences – including burglary, vehicle theft and robbery – fell from 1,096 to 887 in a 12-month period last year.
The data highlights a significant success for local policing, with Solihull recording a substantial 48.1% reduction in these community-level offences.
As Chair of the West Midlands Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership, PCC Simon Foster oversees a multi-agency board that brings together enforcement, treatment and prevention partners to tackle drug-related harm across the seven local authority areas of the West Midlands.
Beyond the fall in neighbourhood crime, the report champions several other striking successes:
- Record investigation success: The proportion of drug offences resulting in a positive outcome – such as a charge, caution or diversion – has increased to 67.9%; up from 54.2% the previous year
- Saving lives: Registered drug-poisoning deaths across the West Midlands area fell by 11.2% (from 295 to 262), bucking national trends
- Surge in treatment: Areas such as Walsall and Dudley saw double-digit percentage increases (13.1% and 12.6% respectively) in the number of people accessing life-saving drug and alcohol support
- Dismantling networks: In the last year alone, police operations closed six county lines and seized over 21 kilograms of illegal substances. Also, trafficking of drugs offences dropped by 14.3%
West Midlands PCC Simon Foster commented: “This report provides clear evidence that our coordinated approach to tackling the root causes of drug-related crime is working. A near 20 per cent reduction in drug-related neighbourhood crime means fewer victims of burglary, robbery, and vehicle theft in our communities.
“However, although this is welcome, we cannot and we never will be complacent. In my Police and Crime Plan 2025-2029, I have made a clear and steadfast commitment to reduce the harm caused by illegal drugs and alcohol. Disruption and enforcement are essential, but it is also about breaking the cycle of crime by ensuring people can access the treatment and recovery services they need.
“By continuing to lead, through our West Midlands Combatting Drugs and Alcohol Partnership, we are not only tackling crime, by taking dealers off our streets and dismantling criminal networks, we are also saving lives and making our region a safer place for everyone.”
The WMCDAP oversees the three strands of the ‘From Harm to Hope’ national drug strategy: breaking drug supply chains, delivering a world-class treatment and recovery system, and achieving a shift in the demand for drugs.
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