West Mercia Police celebrates Neighbourhood Policing Week

West Mercia Police will this week join colleagues up and down the country to celebrate the incredible work neighbourhood policing teams do in keeping communities safe.

Starting today (Monday 23 June), and running until Sunday 29 June, Neighbourhood Policing Week is an opportunity to highlight the vital work Safer Neighbourhood Teams do, and how they engage with their communities to keep people safe.

The force has 82 locally based Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) covering each county of Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. Each SNT is made up of police constables, PCSOs and is led by a sergeant.

As well as patrolling their neighbourhoods on foot, bicycle or by vehicle, they work to tackle local crime and anti-social behaviour related issues, working with partners such as local councils, housing providers and of course local people themselves.

In order to deliver on the local issues that really matter, SNTs regularly engage with the community and consult residents on what concerns should be prioritised throughout the year.

In a promise and commitment to meet this from the force as whole, we pledged to deliver on our ambitions as outlined in our Local Policing Community Charter which was launched in March this year: Visible and accessible presence the cornerstone of new Local Policing Charter | West Mercia Police

This week we will be shining a light on the hard work and dedication of our SNTs, working in each of West Mercia’s Local Policing Areas – Herefordshire, North Worcestershire, Shropshire, South Worcestershire and Telford.

Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills, said: “Each Local Policing Area will be delivering a wide range of events and activities which are targeted at issues raised by the community and for which we will be highlighting throughout the week.

“For many in both our rural and urban communities, our Safer Neighbourhood Teams are the face of policing and are vital to us in helping solve community problems.

“As well as being a reassuring presence, they also have a hugely important role in directly tackling crime, campaigns such as knife crime, drug reduction and anti-social behaviour, our Safer Neighbourhood Teams are pivotal in combating issues that often impact most on the community.

“I am extremely proud of the role they perform; of how accessible and visible they are to local people, and we are keen to recognise and celebrate that throughout this week.”

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion added: “I know the public share my admiration and thanks to the hard-working officers and staff who form the thin blue line in neighbourhoods across West Mercia.

“A vital thread in the very fabric of policing, these teams work all-year round to tackle crime, build relationships with their communities, and address local priorities so it’s right that those efforts are celebrated over Neighbourhood Policing Week.”

• Interested in getting involved and making your difference? We are recruiting for police officers in West Mercia now: https://www.westmercia.police.uk/police-forces/west-mercia-police/areas/west-mercia/ca/careers/police-officers/
• A good way to stay in touch with what’s going on in your community is to sign up to Neighbourhood Matters via our website Neighbourhood Matters | West Mercia Police