Worcester's MP welcomes new officers boost for West Mercia as 174 recruited since 2019 - The Worcester Observer

Worcester's MP welcomes new officers boost for West Mercia as 174 recruited since 2019

Worcester Editorial 6th Aug, 2022   0

WORCESTER’s MP Robin Walker has welcomed newly-released figures which show 174 police officers have been recruited by West Mercia Police since 2019.

But despite the boost in the most recent recruitment drive, there are still less bobbies on the beat in the force fewer than before the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

Since the recruitment drive was launched in 2019, the 43 police forces across England and Wales have seen an additional 13,790 police officers recruited, putting the Government on track to deliver on its manifesto pledge of 20,000 new officers by 2023.

The latest additions of 174 police officers has brought the total number up to 2,338. Figures from the Home Office reveal West Mercia had 2,391 officers in March 2010, two months before the coalition Government was formed.




Those numbers dropped as low as 1,915 in September 2014 before steadily climbing again.

Across the 43 police forces, an additional 13,790 officers have been recruited, bringing the total number of police officers in England and Wales to 142,759


The latest figures also show the police are more representative of the communities they serve. More than four in ten new recruits since April 2020 are female and nearly 12 per cent of new recruits identify as belonging to a Black, Asian, Mixed or other minority ethnic group.

In the past year, police in England and Wales have removed 16,000 dangerous weapons from our streets through stop and search, disrupted more than 600 organised crime groups, and made over 8,000 arrests as a result of a national crackdown on County Lines drug dealing.

Mr Walker said: “From working with our local police force, I know just how valuable 174 more police officers will be in helping crack down on crime in our local community.

“The 174 additional recruits mean there are now 2,338 police officers in West Mercia, helping to pursue criminals, keep neighbourhoods safe, and reassure the law-abiding majority.

“I liaise with our Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion regularly and am keen to ensure Worcester sees the benefit of more officers on the beat.

“These figures also reveal that where Labour are in power, they are failing to deliver.

“Once again this demonstrates only the Conservatives can be trusted to keep people safe and deliver on the priorities of the British people.”

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