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.
Earlier this month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced details of funding for 2025/26 as the start of a four-year 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, in line with neighbouring Staffordshire’s allocation of £3,014,459.
Speaking on behalf of West Mercia Police Federation, Steve Butler said: “We welcome the Government’s plans to boost neighbourhood policing, an area that was severely hit by the budget cuts introduced from 2010, with the links into our communities being hard hit and public confidence in policing being dented.
“It is vital we rebuild neighbourhood policing and this investment should help get us back on track by putting officers back into the hearts of our communities.”
As part of the Government’s plans, it 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 other hotspot areas at peak times such as Friday and Saturday nights.
In announcing the funding, Ms Cooper said: “The heartbeat of our Great British policing tradition is seeing bobbies on the beat, but for too long, too many communities have been feeling abandoned as crime soared and neighbourhood police disappeared.
“That’s why this Government is determined to get police back on the beat and into our town centres.
“It should not matter where you live – everyone deserves local, visible policing they can trust.”
