Police chief says government watchdog 'failed to act in accordance with the law'
Police chief says government watchdog 'failed to act in accordance with the law'
Plus: An apology from me and some historic photos exclusively for Dispatch readers
Dear readers — welcome to today’s Dispatch.
I owe you all an apology for missing yesterday’s Monday Briefing. On Sunday night I came down with a tooth infection — a problem which (I hope…) will be sorted by an operation tomorrow. I was out of action for 24 hours with probably the worst pain I’ve ever felt! Thankfully, it has passed and I’ve had enough antibiotics, pain relief and sleep to feel much better. It does mean that this issue is not your usual bumper Monday Briefing but a slimline one, without the big story.
The downside of being a one-woman operation at present is there isn’t anyone to pick up the slack when I am unwell. My editor and I are therefore keen to hire a second full-time reporter in the next few months. We’ve had some interest already, but if you know a journalist who is up for a new challenge, do encourage them to get in touch with me by email. And if you’re enjoying The Dispatch and would like to pledge that you will become a paying member when we launch our paid subs, please do that on our site by logging in and clicking the green pledge button. The more early members we get, the more confident we can be about hiring a second reporter.
Our Saturday read told the story of a Halesowen postmaster and the highs and trials of the role. One of our aims with The Dispatch is to bring regular portraits of local life to readers and this piece by Kirsty Bosley was a perfect example of that.
Growth check: On Friday we had 4,108 subscribers, which I’m pleased (and amazed) to say has grown to 4,367. Also, 61 readers have pledged to pay for The Dispatch and we haven’t even launched our paid-for content yet — thanks so much for your support. As always, please share us on social media by clicking that green button below. Or, use the old-fashioned way of telling a friend about us if you aren’t a big user of all the various platforms — I certainly don’t blame you if you’re not.
This week’s weather
☀️ Wednesday: Dry with bright spells. Cloud later on. Max 5C.
🌧️ Thursday: Cloudy and rainy, with sleet. Max 3C.
🌧️ Friday: Sleet and a gentle breeze. Max 4C.
☂️ Weekend: Sunny, drizzly, and light winds. Max 4C.
We get our weather from the BBC but do let us know if there’s a local forecast service we should be using.
Photo of the week
Brum in Brief
🚨 West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has published his letter to the government watchdog HMIC (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) claiming it has “failed to act in accordance with the law”. The complaint relates to the decision to effectively put WM Police into special measures which was announced on Friday.
🚘 Birmingham City Council spent more than £1 million hiring vehicles that do not comply with its Clean Air Zone (CAZ). The figures were obtained by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and also show nearly £3m was spent on hiring CAZ compliant vehicles. The BBC reports: “The local authority owns 146 vehicles that do not meet the requirements of the CAZ and therefore would be charged if they were driven in the area, according to the FOI.”
💸 Birmingham City Council is cooperating with the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) which has launched an investigation into council employees moonlighting with second jobs. “Every council holds responsibility for setting its working regulations, with most requiring people to declare second jobs,” reports LBC.
🏗️ The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has handed £13 million to property developers Urban Splash and Places for People to continue building homes on the canalside Port Loop site. 58 new flats will be ready in early 2025. It is not clear how many of the 58 will be affordable, but mayor Andy Street said: “It marks a substantial and collective commitment to increasing the provision of affordable homes in our region – regenerating derelict brownfield sites and transforming them into vibrant communities.”
Home of the week
This light and airy three-bedroomed home on Woodville Road in Kings Heath is beautifully put together. It’s on the market for £375,000.
Our media picks
📰 I enjoyed this recent blog post by the library’s archives team about the Northfield Experiments. Developed during WW2 at Hollymore Hospital in Northfield, the experiments took a cooperative approach to treating men who had survived the traumatic experiences of war, including Dunkirk and the 1940 air raids on Birmingham. “I can remember a time I was at school in the 1970s and ‘80s being taught by teachers who had experienced the ravages of conflict — otherwise gentle and upstanding men who would suddenly erupt into acts of verbal and physical violence. Was this a manifestation of untreated and undiagnosed trauma?”
📰 Thomas Straker is the Heredforshire-born and Shrewsbury-educated star chef who was implicated in a “diversity scandal” over the summer after posting a photo of his seemingly all-white, all-male team. His responses to the criticism he faced garnered even more attention (he messaged female-led supper club Mam Sham to call them “bitter and twisted” and “self-obsessed”). This profile by David Ellis at the Evening Standard has raised even more eyebrows. “Does he recognise the criticism? ‘It’s all very well said and done, but if you go into the Moroccan butcher, it’s Moroccans behind the counter,’ he says, putting his hands up.”
📺 Although this documentary came out several weeks ago I’m always surprised by how few people I speak to have seen it, so I’m sharing it here! Oobah Butler is a Birmingham-born journalist who first came to prominence with a VICE film about how he faked a top-rated restaurant on Trip Advisor — one that existed in his garden shed. In The Great Amazon Heist, he goes undercover at Coventry’s Amazon warehouse to uncover the conditions workers are facing as they launch the country’s first-ever Amazon strikes. It’s a playful approach to a serious subject and features an unexpected twist.
Things to do
Tuesday
🎭 A one-man performance will bring Charles Dickens’ most well-known story to life in Cradley Heath tonight in A Christmas Carol - It's never too late to change. Award-winning actor and writer James Goodwin treads the boards at the Haden Hill House Museum from 7.30pm. All tickets £8.50.
Wednesday
📖 8 out of 10 Cats favourite comedian and actor Joe Wilkinson will be in Birmingham tomorrow discussing his new autobiography alongside illustrator Henry Paker. The Heath bookshop is hosting at the CBSO Centre, 6.30-9pm.
💃🏻 Every Wednesday salsa and bachata classes take place at the Land Rover Sports and Social Club in Solihull. No need to book, just show up and dance from 7.30pm.
Thursday
🎸 Northfield Arts Forum is hosting a free rock music workshop for adults at their base in Northfield Shopping Centre. 10-11.30am.
📖 Shakespeare in Birmingham is an exhibition at the Library of Birmingham that tells the story of how the city became the first place in the world to open a Shakespeare library. Free entry, 11am-7pm.
A final thanks to this new pledged subscriber for encouraging us in our mission. If you want to pledge to pay £8 a month when we launch our paid journalism, please log into the site and click the green button. We really appreciate it.
The Guardian article you link says that West Midlands police crime solving has improved threefold. However since they were only solving 3% of crimes to start with they're still only solving less than 1 in 10 which is still atrocious.