West Midlands Police told it must house 44 prisoners in custody cells

Police and crime commissioner Simon Foster said officers would now be under extra strain as the government had "failed to plan"

The government has told a police force to house more than 40 inmates in custody cells, its police and crime commissioner (PCC) said.

West Midlands PCC Simon Foster said the "remarkable" request was because of jail overcrowding and the move would put extra strain on police officers.

Custody units were not meant to handle prison inmates, The Labour PCC added.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it would help to manage the "short-term pressure" on prison places.

Last year the government announced it had asked to use 400 cells, following a surge in overcrowding in male prisons and youth jails.

On Monday, the MoJ gave the National Police Chiefs' Council 14 days to make cells in the north of England and the West Midlands available, following a rise in the number of inmates since the start of the year.

The Ministry of Justice said the request for West Midlands Police to house inmates was a short-term move

Mr Foster said: "The public want their police officers out in communities preventing and tackling crime, not having to double up as prison officers because this chaotic government has failed to get the basics right and has failed to plan."

He added the fact officers would be asked to look after 44 prisoners would put an extra strain on the force, which was 1,000 officers down on the number it had in 2010.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "We have given notice to the National Police Chiefs Council to make available cells in police custody suites in the North of England and West Midlands as planned under Operation Safeguard.

"This will help ensure we have enough spaces to manage the short-term pressure on prison places - driven in part by the impact of the barristers' strike and Covid pandemic.

"We are building 20,000 extra prison places and our newest prison is set to open in the spring."

In November justice minister Damian Hinds said there was a "highly unusual" surge of more than 800 prisoners over two months.

Mr Hinds has described Operation Safeguard as an "established protocol", which has been used before in periods of high demand.

He said England and Wales had "not run out of prison places" and the emergency measures did not reflect a failure to plan ahead.