Simon Foster was elected as your Police and Crime Commissioner on 6 May 2021. He has lived, worked and brought his family up in the West Midlands for 35 years.

Simon has been a legal aid solicitor for 35 years. He has worked in a Community Law Centre and in private practice. He was a partner in a legal aid law firm for 22 years.

He has specialised in Housing and Public Law. He has represented people who are at risk of eviction from their homes, those living in poor housing conditions and the homeless.

Tom lives in the West Midlands with his family. Following his career as a charity lawyer, Tom was the Strategic Adviser to the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner, where he founded the UK’s first artificial intelligence ethics committee for policing, and worked on pioneering projects supporting vulnerable children and families.

Tom has held roles on a number of national and regional not-for-profit and public sector boards, with expertise on social policy, inequalities and economics.

He is also a social policy PhD researcher at the University of Birmingham and Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Science & Policy.

Keep up to date with Tom’s work on Twitter: @mcneil_tom

Wasim was formerly Chair of the Sandwell Shadow Youth Cabinet and later became Chair of UK Youth Voice. UK Youth works with over 800,000 young people to get young people active in youth participation through voluntary opportunities.

His work included working at 10 Downing Street and speaking up for young people at various events including the House of Lords chamber.

Wasim was part of the first cohort of the West Midlands Youth Police & Crime Commissioners representing Sandwell.

For the past 9 years Wasim has worked at his local hospital, and for the past 6 years in the A&E department.

In 2018, he was elected a Councillor for the Smethwick ward in Sandwell. He has served as Cabinet Member for Core Services & Resources and also has served as Deputy Leader of the council.

Wasim can also be found on Twitter: @CllrWasimAli

Nicky is a councillor for Birmingham City Council, representing the Sparkhill ward. She has been the council’s domestic abuse adviser since she was first elected in 2018.

Nicky has spent most of her career in the charity sector, supporting women fleeing domestic abuse, in the criminal justice system or at risk of homelessness. She also heads up the award winning charity Baby Aid Birmingham which supports struggling families across Birmingham.

Keep up to date with Nicky on Twitter @NickyEBrennan

Charmaine Burton is passionate about her home city of Birmingham with its culturally rich and diverse communities.

She is an advocate for encouraging citizens to engage with their local and national institutions.

She is a communications specialist and a political broadcaster, social entrepreneur, a executive committee member of the Lunar Society and a non-executive director of the Community Media Association and former Lay Member of the House of Commons Standards Committee.

Charmaine is the executive producer and presenter of her own political, social, economic, cultural and current affairs radio show DifferentAnglez on Birmingham’s first black licensed African Caribbean community radio station.

She has worked with the Parliamentary Outreach WM, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioners Office, Birmingham South Central Clinical Commissioning group, Aston University, Fircroft College, Matthew Boulton and Mayfield School for Young people with disabilities and many others.

Charmaine has a degree in BSc Society and Government from Aston University and has trained as a Parliamentary Outreach Programme Facilitator and a high risk mediator and mentor.

Bhupinder has been a councillor in Wolverhampton since 2011 and is currently serving as Cabinet Member for City Housing and Assets.

Bhupinder was born in Leeds where he lived and worked in engineering for 16 years.

He joined West Yorkshire Police initially as a volunteer but then joined as later as a PCSO.

During his time with West Yorkshire Police, Bhupinder set up a Community Shop Watch, he also delivered presentations to local schools and worked closely with other organisations.

Bhupinder moved to Wolverhampton and transferred to the British Transport Police where he remained until he retired from the force in 2017.

At the British Transport Police, Bhupinder trained to become a Diversity Trainer and finished his service as a First Contact officer in the control room.

He is also currently spearheading a project which will have the first statue in Europe erected in Wednesfield dedicated to the soldiers from the 36th Sikh Regiment that fought to the last man defending their outpost in the battle of Saraghari which took place 12th September 1897.

Bhupinder has been a local campaigner for many years and has strong interests and values in regeneration as he has campaigned for funding for Perry Hall Park in Wednesfield.

Bhupinder has been married to his wife for 37 years and has 4 grown up children.

Cath is a former West Midlands Police officer who concluded her 32-year career as a Detective Superintendent.
Her responsibilities included tackling high-risk criminality such as paedophilia, terrorism, organised crime, kidnapping and extortion.

Cath’s efforts in the public protection arena created unique multi agency partnerships to enhance the security and safety of our communities.

Her leadership skills helped to deliver organisational change programmes, creating synergy between statutory and non-statutory organisations.

Cath has a Masters in Clinical Criminology and Professional Doctorate in Policing, Security and Community Safety.

Dr Hannon, who has served on the board of three Police and Crime Commissioners, has received numerous awards recognising her contribution to protecting the public.