West Midlands police says it remains committed to business partnering

West Midlands police has expressed its disappointment at the decision of its business partnering for police (BPP) counterpart Surrey police to suspend its involvement in the two forces' transformation programme. But West Midlands stressed that it remains committed to the project itself and said it will be working to ensure that an incoming police and crime commissioner (PCC) has a broad set of options available to them after PCC elections in November. Chris Price, chief information officer at West Midlands police, said: " Despite the decision by Surrey to suspend their involvement in this transformational programme, West Midlands police will continue to develop the work in preparation for the new PCC. The decision on Thursday simply means any future decisions on the programme will now be made after a PCC takes office." West Midlands suggested that to ensure the force's incoming PCC is informed and has maximum choice, it intends to hold further conversations with bidders over the summer to continue its engagement with the market - "a process which has proved really useful for both West Midlands police and the bidding parties". Price continued: "West Midlands has just seen the lowest crime ever recorded in June thanks to the hard work of officers and staff across the force, meaning that since April there have been more than 9,500 fewer victims of crime compared to the same time last year. "BPP is exploring the possibility of whether the force can work with the private sector to transform the way policing is delivered and improve services to the public, whilst maintaining this good performance. "It is absolutely not our intention to use a partner in core policing roles, such as neighbourhood or patrols – these will always be undertaken by West Midlands officers and/or staff. Our hope is that BPP will help us develop new and even better ways of tackling the issues that matter most to people in the most efficient way that we can." Surrey police indicated last week that it is "minded to withdraw altogether from the programme". In a statement, Surrey's police authority said that its members had agreed that it was "vital to continue to look for ways to become more efficient, mindful of the budget gap facing Surrey police going forward". It also said that it would continue to consider opportunities to collaborate with other police forces, develop relationships with other public services and, if appropriate, revisit the benefits of partnering with a private sector organisation. This article is published by Guardian Professional . Join the Guardian Government Computing Network free to receive regular emails on the issues at the top of the professional agenda.