West Mercia Acts on Its Pledge to Local People

Local policing teams across West Mercia Police are undertaking a week of activities to demonstrate to residents how they are implementing the Force's ‘Policing Pledge' in their neighbourhoods.

Every police force in the country has drawn up a pledge made up of a set of policing promises. These mean the public can have a greater say and influence over how communities are policed.

West Mercia's Policing Pledge aims to put the citizen at the heart of everything the force does and it sets out a clear minimum standard of service for people living in the region.

The elements of West Mercia's Policing Pledge fit into three core themes:

• Community engagement and consultation
• Contact management and response
• Victim, witness and customer care

Commitments include local people being able to meet with their Local Policing Team at PACT (Partners and Communities Together) events at least once a month to agree priorities, and they can also expect local police to be with them within an hour in response to agreed PACT priorities where police attendance is required.

Details of these events will be released to the media throughout this week by our divisional media teams. They will include projects such as a anti-shoplifting initiative, boxing sessions for youngsters and ‘Walker Watch' schemes, where dog walkers report any suspicious activity they witness when they are out and about.

In addition, a national Home Office advertising campaign - called Justice Seen, Justice Done - will occur this week with activity expected in the national media as well as advertisements in national and local press and radio.

Ch Supt Gary Higgins, who is the force's lead for quality of service, said: "The Policing Pledge is part of a wider programme of work being undertaken to ensure our policing services are more community focused. We are working with local communities to put the Pledge into practice to provide a truly local service tailored to their needs.

"While West Mercia is generally a safe place to live, by working together not only can we make it even safer but we can make sure we are giving local people the quality of service they both expect and deserve."

For the full details of the Policing Pledge, please click here.