Margot James has welcomed recent crime figures showing that West Midlands Police is the country’s top-performing metropolitan force for cutting crime, with overall crime down 13.3% on last year.

Police satisfaction levels also remain high with 85% of people believing that West Midlands Police do a good job, higher than the national rate.

Furthermore, Dudley is more than pulling its weight in the effort to reduce crime, with total recorded crime in the borough down 15.9% on last year. The figures for the Dudley Local Policing Unit show that house burglaries are down 23.9%, robberies are down 31%, and vehicle crime is down 9.7%.

Margot said: “These figures are extremely impressive and are a reflection of the hard work, commitment and dedication of the police, both locally in Dudley and across the West Midlands. I would like to congratulate and thank all the officers who do such a remarkable job in what are often difficult and dangerous circumstances.”