Police cuts have meant that certain low-level crimes may not receive the attention they deserve, a senior Solihull officer has admitted.

Superintendent Richard Agar, who has recently joined the borough's command team, said "the reality" of having reduced resources was that the force needed to prioritise crimes.

He was responding to concerns from councillors that some members of the public had lost confidence or felt "abandoned" because of the handling of certain types of offences.

"I've got to be honest, we can't do everything," said Supt Agar.

"You will see the national newspapers, you will see what the Chief Constable has said, you will see what the Police and Crime Commissioner has said ... losing numbers has an impact in terms of what we can do.

"So we need to prioritise the things which cause the greatest threat ... and maybe that means at times that things like graffiti doesn't get the attention that it deserves. But if people know who is responsible we will always be interested in that."

Solihull High Street, home to a number of listed buildings, is the focal point for the town centres conservation area.
Solihull High Street.

He insisted that the force remained committed to neighbourhood policing and that residents should always get in touch with their concerns.

"I accept that if your house has got the alleyway next to it, that's going to be the blight of your life. I've met many residents where their life is tarnished as a consequence of that.

"So please don't ever not tell us. We should always have a dialogue about that with you, but we're just saying that we're not going to be able to prioritise that if there's other things."

Supt Agar and DCI Ian Ingram had been invited to Solihull's stronger communities and neighbourhood services scrutiny board to discuss the latest quarterly crime figures for the borough.

Cllr Gail Sleigh (Con, Castle Bromwich) said that she would defend the police "100 per cent", having a son who was a serving officer, but many residents were concerned about the response to certain incidents in their community.

"I'm not being rude when I say confidence in the police force is very low at the moment from the public. My concern is the low-level crime: drug-dealing, graffiti, anti social behaviour.

"Joe Public out there, they don't see a policeman, they don't see a police car and it's horrible if someone's pulling up outside your house dealing drugs.

"Obviously we want you to solve all the murders and all the muggings and anything where anybody is harmed. But sometimes you have to start at the bottom don't you?"

Cllr James Butler (Con, Blythe), a former officer himself, said: "Communication with victims of crime is something that comes up regularly in my ward.

"A lack of feedback, a lack of updates on the investigations, a feeling I've been abandoned. I've got a crime number, but what's happening?"

Cllr Andy Mackiewicz (Con, Dorridge & Hockley Heath) had sought assurances that officers wouldn't be removed from Solihull to cover neighbouring areas with higher levels of offending.

"The concern I suppose is we're low crime, we're in control. Is there a temptation from the force to move more and more resources from Solihull to elsewhere?"

Supt Agar insisted there was "no suggestion" of this.

"I'm a West Midlands Police officer, but my priority is what we do in Solihull," he said.

The latest figures show that Solihull's total recorded crime in April to June had fallen by almost three per cent (109 incidents) compared with the same period last year. Despite councillors' concerns, anti-social behaviour had also reduced.

Certain crimes, such as drug offences, burglary, robbery and domestic violence, had however seen increases over this period.