West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster reported a significant increase in the number of offenders brought to justice during the past year compared with two years earlier.
The annual report showed improvements across several key areas, including a rise in positive outcome rates, more prosecutions, and quicker progression of court cases. Notably, fewer investigations were halted because victims withdrew their support.
The overall positive outcome rate climbed from 7.9 per cent in 2024 to 15.7 per cent by March 2026, reflecting greater investigative success and more cases reaching meaningful conclusions within the criminal justice system. Cases assessed for evidence-led prosecutions rose from 960 in 2024 to 1,266 in 2026.
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The median time from charge to case completion at the Crown Court reduced from 220 days to 186 days, while the quality of case files submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service improved, with compliance increasing from 59.5 per cent to 72.5 per cent over the two years.
Efforts to reduce investigations discontinued due to victims withdrawing support were effective, dropping from 27.8 per cent in 2024 to 23.1 per cent in 2026. However, there was an increase in cases stopped because of insufficient evidence despite victims continuing to support the action, rising from 11.9 per cent to 16.1 per cent.
The report stated: “Bringing more offenders to justice was one of the strongest areas of performance during 2025/26. The improvements reflect enhanced investigative effectiveness and better overall criminal justice outcomes.
“While audits indicated some declines in crime data accuracy in certain offence categories, more recent internal reviews show improved compliance in cases involving domestic abuse, stalking and harassment, indicating positive momentum ahead of future inspections.”