Introduction
Paul West, QPM, MA (Oxon), MSc, MA, Chief Constable, West Mercia PoliceDuring the last year, police officers and police staff throughout West Mercia have, once again, risen to the challenge of providing a high quality service to our local communities in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Telford and the Wrekin. We are delighted that this Annual Report provides us with an opportunity to highlight just some of the Force’s achievements in 2008/09.
Building upon previous successes and recent trends, the past year saw overall crime reach a ten year low in the West Mercia area, falling by more than 3% relative to the previous reporting period. The Force was recognised in positive reports from the Home Office (in relation to the Policing Performance Assessment Framework, PPAF) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) while the Police Authority exceeded the rating it received last year for its Corporate Governance Review and was rated as ‘Performing Strongly’ by the Audit Commission.
West Mercia Police and West Mercia Police Authority are committed to promoting community safety, improving public confidence and satisfaction in policing services and protecting the public. We place great importance upon listening to the needs and concerns of our communities, seeking a clear understanding of what is important to them and how they would like to be policed.
Paul Deneen JP, MA, BEd, Chair, West Mercia Police AuthorityOur 145 Local Policing Teams encourage people in the community to have a voice – local PACT (Partners and Communities Together) meetings and other events have gone from strength to strength, with key local issues of concern – speeding traffic, illegal parking and anti-social behaviour – being identified and targeted by ourselves and other relevant agencies.
The Police Authority has also set up a new structure of ‘Policing Matters Groups’ throughout West Mercia. These provide the opportunity for people to meet the Divisional Police Commander, Police Authority members and representatives of key partner agencies and to hear about what is being done in the area. They also enable people to give feedback and to say what they think about the way in which their community is policed.
The West Mercia Policing Pledge was introduced on 1st January 2009, giving the public a clear understanding of the standards of service that we aim to deliver. In addition, recent months have seen the introduction of CrimeMapper, an online system which enables residents to monitor crime trends and patterns in their particular locality.
The Force is better equipped than ever to tackle serious and organised crime and to investigate the most serious offences. This year has seen some outstanding results with a number of criminal enterprises dismantled, significant criminals convicted and their assets seized. We also continue to work jointly with neighbouring forces and a range of other partner agencies in tackling cross-border criminality and responding to major incidents and emergencies.
We also continue to build upon our commitment to ‘Quality People’ through investing in training and developing our staff. This past year witnessed the first NPIA (National Policing Improvement Agency) accredited course for detectives and also the first cohort of officers gaining foundation degrees in Professional Policing at the conclusion of their two year period of Student Officer training.
The strong reputation that West Mercia Police enjoys has resulted from the dedication and commitment of generations of police officers, police staff and volunteers. The challenge for us now and into the future is to build upon that legacy and become an even stronger, more accountable and more responsive organisation committed to serving, protecting and making the difference in our communities.
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