Employment boost from Commissioner

Police supremo to unveil commitment to over 200 new apprentices.

At visits to Dudley College and Edmund Campion Sixth Form in Birmingham on Thursday 28 April, Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson will unveil his Youth Manifesto with Shadow Policing Minister Jack Dromey MP.

Top policy commitments include over 200 new apprentices funded by the national apprenticeship levy and a modern-day Police Cadet scheme for the West Midlands.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson and Shadow Policing Minister Jack Dromey MP will launch the policies and take part in unscripted Q&A sessions with students at Dudley College and Edmund Campion Sixth Form in Birmingham.

Jamieson said: “The West Midlands is a young region, with a higher proportion of people under 25 than the rest of the country. We all have a responsibility to give our young people opportunities.

“That is why, if re-elected I will recruit over 200 apprentices to fill key positions within the force, fully funded using the national apprenticeship levy.

“These new positions are fully funded and will be backed up by rigorous training. These new positions will contribute towards making West Midlands Police ready for the new crimes we face.”

Shadow Police Minister Jack Dromey and MP for Birmingham Erdington added: “I always remember an excellent Chief Inspector responding to a tirade from a Tory Councillor about ‘the problem’ of young people. He said, ‘Councillor, for us in the West Midlands Police, young people are not a problem, they are a community to be engaged with’.

“David Jamieson believes in building a good relationship with young people and putting them at the heart of the Police Service. There is no one better placed to rise to the challenges of policing 21st century Britain, online and on the beat, than the next generation.”

Dudley North MP Ian Austin said: “I am pleased to be welcoming the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Shadow Policing Minister to Dudley to highlight Labour’s commitment to standing up for young people. David Jamieson’s commitment to recruiting over 200 apprentices and setting up a modern-day Police Cadet scheme, shows that he is on the side of young people in Dudley and the West Midlands.”