St Matthew's

Hi, I’m Inspector Pete Poolton and I cover the areas of St Matthew's including Walsall town centre, Caldmore, Pleck, Paddock, Palfrey, Willenhall & Darlaston.

I have been within the police service for nearly 26 years and relatively new to my neighbourhood role. I am a local lad who wanted to be a police officer since the age of six. I carried out work experience whilst at high school with WMP. My passion for policing job hasn’t wavered, nor has my commitment to taking local policing back to what I know communities want in trusted relationships with your officers where we work together to resolve community priorities.

Since joining the Police in 1998 I have worked most of my years in front line roles whether that be as a Police Constable walking the beat of Tipton day and night or leading a 999-response unit as a Sergeant in Walsall.

I have worked in proactive teams, multi-agency settings and led the evolvement of offender management. Prior to being promoted to Inspector I set up what is now a running multi-agency exploitation hub in Walsall focusing on early intervention to those young people most at risk of harm.

In my current role I am responsible for five local policing teams comprising of both PC’s and PCSO’s. I have six Sgts that manage these teams and a deputy coordinator. As part of my role I will also conduct regular duties as 999 response cover.

I am also the chair of a newly formed multi-agency tasking group that brings key partners together to tackle the issues raised by our communities in a collaborative way. I have real hopes for the coming year that this group can really bear fruit for local people.

Having been in role for 12 months it has been great to see crime falling for my neighbourhoods but I feel that the fear of crime has not fallen with it and this is a priority for me.

Through consistent engagement with my community and by working directly with them, and partners, I know this can change and is my personal objective for the next 12 months.
I know that we have so much to do and so many things that could be better, we are by no means in a position I would like to be with crime and each and every incident is one too many.

My policing teams will be holding regular community/councilor meetings and it is there that we will listen and agree ways in which we can help resolve the concerns raised to us.