Officer numbers at West Mercia Police hit 'historic high'
The force say nearly 2,500 officers are now working across the region following a campaign by the Home Office to recruit more staff
Last updated 9th Jun 2024
Officer numbers at West Mercia Police have hit an 'historic high'.
The head-count of officers follows a push for recruitment by the Home Office, which set both local and national targets for forces to hit.
For West Mercia Police, they were tasked with hiring an extra 290 police officers amid the Government's wider target of 20,000 around the country.
Now, it's been revealed by the force that they have 2494 officers on their books, after taking on an additional 309 officers since the launch of the Uplift campaign.
Since 2016, police officer numbers in West Mercia have increased by 508, which has been made possible as a greater proportion of the police’s budget has been focused on front-line service delivery.
The force says the benefits are already being felt across the communities of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
Chief Constable Pippa Mills said: “This is a fantastic achievement and great news for the communities we serve. These new officers will be vital in helping us protect people from harm and deliver an excellent service that the public deserve. We’re ensuring this investment increases visibility across our communities and helps us get the best possible outcomes for victims of crime.
“As a result of this recruitment drive we are now a more representative force as well and we have achieved a long-standing of having 35% female representation across the force. We’ve now revised our target and reset it at 50% as it’s important we continue to be ambitious to achieve a more balanced level of representation.
“Officers from ethnic minority backgrounds have also increased, from 2.4% in 2019 to 3.3% today and so we continue to work to be a force that is truly representative of the communities we serve.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I am extremely proud to see police officer numbers at their highest level in West Mercia Police’s history.
“As the voice of the public in policing, I have listened and delivered on calls for more officers to be visible and accessible in the heart of your communities.
“Since I was first elected in 2016, I have overseen a year-on-year increase in police officer numbers and while the force has now hit this momentous milestone, I am funding a further 40 officers - exceeding the Government’s target.
“As PCC, I will continue to champion a journey of reform in West Mercia Police to ensure you feel the benefit of the increase in officers, working to meet your priorities.”
West Mercia Police says they have committed to recruiting 40 more officers - and maintaining the numbers of officers taken on through the Uplift scheme - in 2023/24.