Citizen Charter

We are West Midlands Police. We prevent crime, protect the public and help those in need. At the heart of everything we do, we always see the person needing our help.

Our charter is our promise to you. We believe that everyone has a right to know what you can expect from us. We have high standards* but know that we can always do better. That’s why we need your feedback.

If at any point while using our services you need a translator, let us know and we will provide one for you.

* We strive to meet all our standards. However as an emergency service at times we may not be able to meet them. That’s because we’re dealing with an emergency which we need to prioritise. If this happens we will do our best to keep to our promise and keep you informed.

Our promise to you

No matter who you are, you can trust us to:

• treat you with dignity and respect
• listen to you without any judgement
• be kind and caring
• be honest and fair

We will always aim to:

• respond as soon as we can
• explain things and support you through all stages
• keep you updated
• make our services easily accessible so you are able to understand and be understood

How to contact us

You can speak to us online, over the phone or in person

On this site you can:

• search for advice and guidance
• report a non-emergency crime and track your case
• speak to us on live chat between 8am to midnight

Call us on 101 if you:

• cannot speak to us on our website
• need to call an internal number

Visit your nearest police station to speak to us. You can find opening times online.

Only call 999 in an emergency.

An emergency is when a life is in danger or a crime is taking place.

If your call does not need an emergency response we will ask some questions to understand more and explain how we will help you.

What to expect if you contact us

We prioritise all our emergencies and will always attend the most serious first.

We aim to answer emergency 999 calls within 10 seconds. If we need to attend we aim to arrive within 15 minutes.

We aim to answer non-emergency 101 calls and live chat within three minutes. Wait times may increase during peak times if we’re dealing with a number of critical emergencies*.

If your matter is not an emergency but we need more information we will make an appointment within three days to find out more.

However you contact us we will:

• record that you’ve contacted us and why
• discuss the appropriate response we will take to help you
• assess your crime or incident and give you a reference number
• transfer you to the appropriate department if your enquiry needs specialist knowledge or expertise
• tell you if another organisation can help you and how to get in touch with them

If further investigation is needed, we will:

• contact you within seven days of your crime being recorded and give you details of the investigating officer who will be your point of contact during the investigation
• agree with you how and when we will update you throughout the investigation
• explain the outcome of the investigation. If we are not investigating we will explain the reason why
• refer you to relevant agencies who can provide further support

A detailed version of our service standards are online.

Our ask of you

We want to give you the service you deserve. So we can keep to our promise, we ask that you:

• trust that we will always have your safety and best interests at heart
• treat our staff with the same level of dignity and respect as they give you
• be open and honest about what you tell us
• use our services wisely. Only call 999 in a life threatening emergency. For everything else use this website

Tell us how we’re doing

We always aim to get things right first time, every time. We want you to tell us how we’ve done.  

You can tell us straightaway

If we’ve done a good job that’s great feedback. If we haven’t lived up to our standards, we can say sorry and put things right. 

Or you can let us know:

• Online - give your feedback
• In person - visit your nearest police station to talk to us.
• Write to us - Professional Standards Department, West Midlands Police, Lloyd House, Colmore Circus, Birmingham, B4 6NQ

Your rights

The Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (the Victims' Code) sets out the minimum level of service that you’ll receive from the police, courts and others in the criminal justice system.

As a victim of crime you can access a range of support services on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s website.

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) codes of practice explains your rights during:

• stop and search
• arrest
• detention
• investigation
• identification processes
• interview

The Information Commissioner’s Office explains your right to access information we hold about you. You have the right to ask us if we are using or storing your personal information. You can do this by completing a subject access request online.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 gives you access to information held by West Midlands Police. You can submit a Freedom of Information request online.