Campaigners in Stourbridge are celebrating after it was confirmed the town will get a new police base.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, has confirmed the station will be home for Stourbridge and Lye neighbourhood teams - a total of 60 officers.

Stourbridge has been without a permanent police base since the closure of the Victorian station on the ring road in 2017. Stourbridge Town ward councillor, Cat Eccles, said:

“It is fantastic news, long-awaited and very welcome. I am sure the community and traders will be pleased to hear this, it is a great step forward and we are grateful to the PCC for listening.

“Crime and antisocial behaviour are at the top of the agenda and this welcome news will make people feel safer when they come into town.”

Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has been a long time campaigner for a new police station in the town.  Ms Webb said: “I am thrilled we will finally have a permanent police presence back in Stourbridge. 

“The people of Stourbridge have been adamant they wanted to see a police base back to deter crime and offer reassurance that policing was a priority in their town.

“For some years I hit a brick wall but since the arrival of the new chief constable Craig Guildford, and his focus on community policing, the mood music changed dramatically and things started to progress.”

The location of the new base is yet to be confirmed but the PCC has confirmed Dudley response officers will relocate from the Brierley Hill station which is set to close. Simon Foster said:

“The plan places significant importance on community policing and police officers here in the West Midlands, working in local communities to prevent, tackle and reduce crime, to keep people, families, businesses and the local community safe and secure.

“Local officers having a dedicated base, especially in a busy town centre, is important because it provides a reassuring – and visible – police presence for communities.”

Dudley Chief Superintendent Anthony Tagg, from West Midlands Police, added: “The new base is great news for our people and those we serve. “It delivers on the promise we made when we closed the old station – that we’d find a new home in the town.”