People living in Worcestershire feel 3% less informed about what West Mercia Police is doing, according to the latest results from Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion’s perception survey.
The figures are for October to December 2024, compared to the same period the previous year. They show North Worcestershire dropping from 52% to 49%, and South Worcestershire seeing a similar decrease from 50% to 47%.
There has also been a 6% drop in the number of people in North Worcestershire who think the force is doing an excellent job from 65% to 59%. However, the feeling in South Worcestershire has remained steady at 58%.
Overall confidence in the service provided by the force has remained high across Worcestershire at 82%, just one percent down on the previous year but 2% higher than the figure for Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire combined.
Other findings include –
- More Worcestershire residents feel they can contact the force in an emergency, with the figure increasing from 88% to 93% in North Worcestershire and 90% to 92% in South Worcestershire
- There has been a small drop in the number of people who are confident they would receive a good service in Worcestershire. Dropping from 83% to 79% in North Worcestershire, and from 81% to 79% in South Worcestershire. These are higher than the overall figure for the entire force, which is 77%
- Almost nine out of 10 respondents in Worcestershire said they felt safe in the county over the three months October to December 2024 (North Worcestershire 88% / South Worcestershire 89%)
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “While it’s good residents of Worcestershire feel safe and able to contact West Mercia Police in an emergency, the drop in satisfaction levels in North Worcestershire is a concern and one I will be exploring further with the Chief Constable.
“These surveys put the voice of the public at the heart of those meetings, to help ensure the communities of West Mercia get the policing service they deserve and that delivers on the priorities that matter to them most.
“I have been clear in my West Mercia Safer Communities Plan, that I want to put policing back into the heart of the community and I am committed to people seeing a greater police presence in town centres and supporting our rural communities.”
