THE Labour Party's David Jamieson has been re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands soundly beating Councillor Les Jones from the Conservative Party.

It is the second time the former leader of Dudley Council Cllr Jones has lost to Mr Jamieson after losing out in 2014.

The turnout this election was 30 per cent of the electorate compared to just 10 per cent who turned out for the 2014 bye-election following the death of Bob Jones.

During the campaign Mr Jamieson promised to increase the recruitment of police officers from 450 to 1,000.

He said: “These Labour values of decency and fairness have met the democratic test of the electorate and they have received a resounding endorsement from across the diverse communities of the West Midlands.”

He also promised to use more cadets and apprentices and ensure that all members of staff were paid at least the living wage.

Mr Jamieson won 49.88 per cent of the vote - just missing the 50 per cent required for a first round win.

In the second round he went over the 50 per cent mark winning 306,578 votes against Cllr Jones' 176,922.

He added: “My other top priority is protecting neighbourhood policing. I am committed to deliver on the recruitment of 450 officers by April 2017 and will recruit 1,000 by 2020.

“I will focus all of my efforts on helping to build a decent society.”

Cllr Jones said: “This is an important role and I want to make a plea that people are fully informed about the importance of this role.”

581,072 votes were cast including a whopping 28,436 voting papers that were rejected.