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West Mercia Police has successfully recruited an additional 105 officers, as the government’s campaign to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years is ahead of schedule, according to police officer uplift statistics published recently.
The numbers for West Mercia are on top of the 93 recruited by June this year. This means that West Mercia now has 116 more officers than this time last year.
Overall, the statistics show that one year on from the launch of the campaign, 5,824 extra officers have joined forces across England and Wales up to the end of September 2020, with 530 in the West Midlands region as a whole.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Getting more police officers on our streets is a priority for the British people – therefore a priority for me.
“Just one year since we began recruiting, I am delighted that there are nearly 6,000 of the 20,000 additional officers on our streets cutting crime and making your communities safer. As we’ve seen from the frontline response to coronavirus, the work of each and every police officer helps to save lives and I would like to extend my gratitude to them, and to the new recruits, for joining the police and being a part of this heroic national effort.”
The new officers are working to help drive down crime and make the streets of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire safer, with statistics showing crime was already beginning to fall before the pandemic period began.
Over recent months, the police have also been keeping the public safe by stepping up enforcement against those flouting rules in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus.
Rachel Jones, Assistant Chief Constable at West Mercia Police, said: “The current recruitment campaign gives us a once in a generation opportunity to improve diversity in policing, as well as contributing to our highest number of officers since 2012. Of our new recruits, 7.9% identified as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, while 43% were female.
“Our focus remains on attracting and retaining the best applicants from a range of backgrounds to serve the public. A substantial uplift in officer numbers like this gives us the ideal opportunity to increase the diversity of our workforce. A diverse set of professional skills is needed to be a police officer, and policing benefits greatly from individuals with socially diverse backgrounds and experiences. With a larger, more representative and diverse workforce, we know that we can be more effective in improving the public’s confidence and trust in policing and be a more inclusive force.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “Our communities want to see visible policing, so I have been pleased, along with the Government support, to increase the numbers of officers in West Mercia.
“I look forward to welcoming the additional officers, as this will have an even greater impact on making our communities safer.”
West Mercia Police is still looking for talented and committed people to join as new officers, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. For more information, visit www.westmercia.police.uk and click on Careers.