Waheed Saleem, West Midlands’ Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, yesterday announced a drive to divert Victims Fund money to victims of Hate Crime. A move that will see £200,000 of limited Victims Fund cash going to Hate Crime reports above other victims. This is despite Saleem having chaired the Victims Summit of a report which identified domestic abuse as a priority, said West Midlands Police needed to do more to support victims of domestic abuse. The report said:

“Domestic abuse been identified as a priority area attracting additional police funding as well as being the focus of contingency planning response to COVID 19”

This is not the first time questions have been raised around Saleem’s attitude towards domestic abuse charities. The Deputy PCC was a Trustee for the Amirah Foundation, a charity (funded by his own PCC office) that folded amid a financial review, and was accused of being treated as “a social club for Labour Party members”. What a mess.