The West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner has responded to the HMICFRS Legitimacy report in which West Mercia Police was assessed as requiring improvement.
Commissioner John Campion said “Our communities deserve the best from their police service, and this report has raised a number of issues, where the service has been judged to be falling short of this.
Whilst some positives were highlighted and it is indeed clear that the majority of police officers and staff treat communities with fairness and respect, the concerns highlighted are serious and must be dealt with as a priority. It is important to note that the report focused on different issues to the previous year’s inspection in which West Mercia Police was rated as ‘good’, and there were no areas highlighted which showed that the force had moved backwards.
It is still paramount that significant progression is made in relation to these new issues, and I am reassured to see that swift and thorough action is already been taken to address the concerns. I will hold the Chief Constable to account to ensure that all of the issues are fully addressed so the public have a completely fair and ethical service which they can trust and be confident in. I have ensured that the police service are more accountable than ever, through initiatives like the roll out of body worn video, and will continue with this focus on transparency.
I will ensure that the force’s leaders use training, analysis and other much needed steps to ensure fairness across the whole workforce. This will ultimately improve engagement with communities, in order for them to feel more reassured by their police force.”
The legitimacy report is the second HMICFRS thematic report released from its 2017 inspection programme and follows on from November’s efficiency report, which rated West Mercia Police as being good ‘good’ for the efficient way it keeps people safe and reduces crime. A further report on police effectiveness will be published in early 2018.
Issued: Tuesday 12th December 2017
