The results are in on the latest town and parish council survey with most respondents saying West Mercia Police is doing a fair, good or excellent job.
Running from June to August, the Police and Crime Commissioner’s yearly survey received a total of 144 responses from town and parish councils across West Mercia.
The survey is an opportunity for councils working in the heart of their communities to have their say and shape policing in the areas they represent.
79% of respondents believe West Mercia Police is doing a fair, good or excellent job in their area. There has also been a 3% decrease in the number of councils who think the police is doing a poor or very poor job (17%).
More than 80% of councils find it easy and convenient to access local policing teams. This is the highest percentage recorded through the survey since it began in 2018 and follows officer numbers reaching their highest level in more than a decade.
Nearly three quarters of councils, who completed the survey, do not believe they have a big problem with crime and anti-social behaviour in their area. Crime and anti-social behaviour are considered a very big problem by only 3% of town and parish councils. This figure has continued to decrease over the last few years.
PCC John Campion said: “I launched the annual town and parish council survey to hear directly from councillors who work in the heart of the communities they serve. I have carefully gone through the results to use them to shape my budget proposals. I am grateful to every council that responded.
“It’s reassuring to see further improvements have been made following last year’s survey regarding police visibility, satisfaction in police service and accessibility to Safer Neighbourhood Teams. I have noted the concerns regarding rural crime and road safety.
“As the voice of the public at the heart of policing, I want to build on these positive results by continuing to work closely with communities across West Mercia to challenge and support the force on the matters that mean the most to them.”
Local Policing Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Jones said: “It is pleasing to see overwhelming positive results in this latest survey. Officers and staff in our local teams work closely with their communities and it is encouraging to see our town and parish councils are saying they are seeing more officers and feeling safer. Our teams have worked hard over the past 12 months to continue to improve contact and engagement with local residents; these results encourage us to ensure we continue with our efforts to maximise our visibility and engagement which I know is important to our local communities.”
Please see the full results, including a breakdown of individual local policing areas here.
