FOI 400880
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 400880
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 9th April 2025. Please find below the response to your request:
I believe that West Mercia Police have been awarded £3.1 million solely for Neighbourhood policing. Can you tell me how this money is being spent and why its not being used for the cut backs that you are making to PCSOs.
As the PCC had increased the council tax contribution for policing to meet a 'shortfall'. can you prove that there is actually a shortfall? I believe that there is no such shortfall. Also as the contribution has increased so much why is neighbourhood policing being reduced at key times?
Reply
I believe that West Mercia Police have been awarded £3.1 million solely for Neighbourhood policing. Can you tell me how this money is being spent and why its not being used for the cut backs that you are making to PCSOs.
The grant is being used to employ 12 additional officers and 19 police staff into roles currently undertaken by officers allowing the officers to be deployed to Neighbourhood Policing and to employ 20 PCSOs in neighbourhood roles. The funding for the 20 Neighbourhood PCSOs is being used to reduce cutbacks in PCSOs. The grant can only be used to fund Neighbourhood roles and the PCSO reductions relate to school based roles that are not eligible for grant.
As the PCC had increased the council tax contribution for policing to meet a 'shortfall'. can you prove that there is actually a shortfall? I believe that there is no such shortfall. Also as the contribution has increased so much why is neighbourhood policing being reduced at key times?
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires West Mercia Police, when refusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you the applicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and (c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.
The exemption applicable to the information is:
Sec 21(1) Information Reasonably Accessible by Other Means
This is an Absolute, class based exemption.
The information that you require is already available West Mercia Budget
Specifically pages 24 – 27
The total hours provided by PCSO is not being reduced, it is being directed to those parts for the day where the PCSO can have the greatest impact whilst providing value for money to the taxpayer by reducing allowances. Police Officers will continue to provide neighbourhood policing in the late evening hours.