A MULTI-MILLION pound funding boost will allow West Mercia Police to hire dozens of new officers into neighbourhood roles over the next year.
Government funding of £3 million will cover the hiring of 31 neighbourhood police officers as well as 20 PCSOs and 15 specials across West Mercia.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the funding for 2025/26 as part of its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee programme to bring in 13,000 extra officers by the end of Labour’s parliament.
Each force in England and Wales has been allocated a budget based on the Police Funding Formula with West Mercia Police receiving £3,108,283.
Speaking on behalf of West Mercia Police Federation, Steve Butler said: “We welcome lans to boost neighbourhood policing, an area severely hit by the budget cuts, with the links into our communities being hard hit and public confidence in policing being dented.
As part of its plans, the Government wants every neighbourhood in England and Wales to have dedicated teams spending their time on the beat, with guaranteed police patrols in town centres and hotspot areas at peak times.
In announcing the funding, Ms Cooper said: “The heartbeat of policing tradition is seeing bobbies on the beat, but for too long, communities have been feeling abandoned as crime soared and neighbourhood police disappeared.”
