Shropshire Star

Star comment: We have faith in our thin blue line

Salopians do not lie awake at night worrying about how many police officers are on duty.

Published

While they do not know the numbers, they have faith that there are enough.

The full picture of how thin the thin blue line really is will be known, or at least suspected, by those within police ranks.

It is quite possible that if hourly figures were broadcast of how many uniformed officers were on duty in Shropshire at that time, the public would be unpleasantly surprised, especially in the night hours.

It can be taken as read that more police officers are needed, in much the same way as there cannot have been a general in history who would not have liked more troops.

There again the backdrop against which all publicly-funded services is operating is one of cutbacks and economies.

With the police, there are assurances that "front line" policing will not be hit. This carries the implication that the "back room" staff are not doing valuable or vital work. In fact employing civilians to do various tasks was motivated by the desire to unburden police officers from this work, so they could get out of police stations and do front line policing.

So much about high profile policing, and seeing bobbies on the beat, is about reassurance of the public. In the wake of comments by the Police Federation warning that cuts to the policing budget are putting people at risk and leaving communities vulnerable, Shropshire's police commissioner Bill Longmore has a reassuring response.

He says: "As things stand now, we won't be reducing the number of officers any further. We are actively recruiting for new officers to sustain our current numbers, and there are actually more officers on the streets now in West Mercia than there were 12 months ago."

Shropshire can count its blessings. Compared to the tough inner cities, it is not a high crime area. Nevertheless, when you have had your house broken into, or your car vandalised, or suffered harassment, you have expectations of a certain level of service from the police.

Whether victims are satisfied with the police response will be governed by their individual experiences when they report a crime.

From what Mr Longmore is saying, West Mercia appears to be holding the line which, when things could be a whole lot worse, is modestly encouraging.

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