Town centre teams strengthen local policing

Town centres across the three counties covered by West Mercia Police are set to benefit from new dedicated policing teams.

From this week (Monday 2 September), ten town centre teams will be introduced in towns and cities across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Each team will focus on matters specific to the town centre, such as shoplifting and retail crime, and work closely with local shops and businesses.

The teams will work with partners to help prevent and tackle anti-social behaviour, and crime and disorder related to the night-time economy.

Caption: Some of the officers from six of the new town centre teams. Top L-R Redditch, Shrewsbury, Kidderminster. Bottom L-R Worcester, Telford, Oswestry.

Delivering on the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Safer West Mercia Plan, the introduction of the focused teams is part of our joint commitment to ensure officers are visible, accessible, and focused on tackling the priorities that matter most to the communities we serve.  

Local Policing and Operations Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills said: “We know the public want to see police officers in the heart of their communities; our town centre teams will increase our police presence in some of our busiest cities and towns.

“The new teams will focus on preventing crimes prevalent in town and city centres such as shoplifting and retail crime. Officers will work closely with local shops and businesses to take preventative steps against the crimes which impact on them the most. They will take ownership of shoplifting investigations where a shoplifter has been detained and take a problem-solving approach to longer-term issues.

“Most of our town and city centres have a vibrant nightlife and our town centre teams will work with licensed premises to help ensure a safe night out for everyone.

The locations of the new teams have been chosen based on calls from the public, population and/or footfall with the teams supporting existing safer neighbourhood teams.

ACC Wills added: “It’s vital our officers are where they need to be and when to help prevent crime and reassure our communities whether in our cities and towns, or villages in our more rural locations which continue to be covered by our existing safer neighbourhood teams.

“Right across our three counties, crime continues to fall and more crimes are solved than ever before and our new teams will help in our crime fighting efforts.”

The teams are funded through Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s 2024/25 budget.  

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “I have listened to, acted on and now delivered on calls from the public to ensure our town centres have dedicated policing teams.

“Local shops and businesses form the lifeblood of our communities, and through my investment, these first-of-a-kind teams will be visible and accessible whilst driving down crime and working closely with retailers to tackle their concerns.”

New town centre teams will cover:-

Evesham
Hereford
Kidderminster
Leominster
Oswestry
Redditch 
Ross-on-Wye
Shrewsbury 
Telford
Worcester

* The teams will be introduced into individual towns over the next few weeks.