West Mercia Police boosting neighbourhood officer numbers
Additional officers are being put in place to strengthen community-based policing efforts
West Mercia Police is increasing its focus on community-based policing by repositioning officers into neighbourhood roles across six locations.
The move, announced as part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer Communities Plan, aims to strengthen ties between officers and local communities by addressing issues that matter most to residents.
Under this initiative, Bromyard, Herefordshire, Church Stretton and Whitchurch, Shropshire, will each receive three additional officers.
Droitwich and Stourport in Worcestershire will have two more officers in their teams, while Worcester City is set to gain one additional officer.
Chief Constable Richard Cooper highlighted the importance of neighbourhood officers in tackling crime and safety within communities, emphasising the benefits not only to the public but also to policing colleagues who may otherwise face increased demand.
Neighbourhood officers exist to solve the crime and safety problems affecting local communities. As well as obvious benefit to the public, this helps policing colleagues who would otherwise pick up the demand. That’s why we are reallocating 14 officers into neighbourhood roles in the places where they will have greatest impact.”
PCC John Campion also expressed confidence in the initiative, noting that it aligns with residents' support for visible and accessible policing.
Residents tell me time and again how much they value seeing officers on the beat, building relationships and responding to local concerns. The Chief Constable and I share that commitment. After delivering record numbers of police officers in West Mercia, we are focused on ensuring communities feel the full benefit of that investment through an increase in visible and accessible policing.
While the total number of officers within the force remains unchanged, their roles are being reprioritised to enhance community engagement and responsiveness.
In addition to the neighbourhood officer allocation, 13 further roles, including those of Intervention and Prevention Officers and Hate Crime Officers, have been realigned to incorporate community perspectives into the broader policing strategy.
Officers are transitioning to their new roles and will be joining communities over the coming months.