More bobbies on the beat pledged for Shropshire by new police and crime commissioner

He said his priority was to invest in technology and to cut back-office bureaucracy within West Mercia Police.

He also said it was essential for the force to improve its response times to emergencies. Speaking exclusively to the Shropshire Star, he talked of the "honour" of taking on the role from outgoing PCC Bill Longmore.

He did not commit himself to talking about the future of West Mercia Police, amid suggestions its federation with Warwickshire Police should become a full merger, saying only that it is "clearly not an option on the table" but that he "would not rule out the idea".

But he did speak of the importance of reform of the force to ensure it is more effective and efficient.

He said: "I want more police time being spent where it matters most – on the frontline. A key priority for me is to make West Mercia more secure, ensuring people not only are safe, but feel safe too."

Most recent figures for 2014 showed that the force's reaction time to emergencies had fallen by about seven per cent.

Mr Campion said: "This is an area where performance has slipped in recent years, and I will work with the chief constable to try to address this.

"It is undoubtedly a challenge when we have many rural areas around Shropshire and the rest of West Mercia, but slower responses can have bad consequences."

The force is looking to boost its 600-strong team of special constables.

Mr Campion said his priorities were fighting anti-social behaviour, speeding in villages, shoplifting and burglaries.

I will work hard to build up trust

I feel deeply honoured that the people of Shropshire have put their trust in me as the new police and crime commissioner.

I know more needs to be done to build trust and confidence in the role.

I will work hard in office to build that trust and deliver the kind of results that you have told me you want.

I will be a commissioner people can have faith in, not just to make good decisions, but to be able to justify them as well.

I will always be open and transparent, and will make sure my decisions are based on sound evidence, and stand up to scrutiny. I value the faith people have shown in me and will always make sure I am accountable to the public.

I believe that as commissioner, I must lead by example and one of my first acts has been to set out plans to recruit a small community-focused team to help me ensure I can hear and act on your views.

That team will ensure excellent links with our local communities, and deliver £30,000 annual savings compared to the previous structure. I hope this demonstrates how I plan to be frugal and efficient with public money.

I have consistently said I will always make best use of the funds available before asking for any more, and assuming that next year's funding settlement is broadly in line with current projections I plan to freeze council tax in 2017/18.

Reforming West Mercia Police is a big, long-term job. Ultimately though it will deliver a more effective police service and better value for taxpayers' money.

We have a good, solid hard-working police force in place, and I will work hard to back the force and ensure that they have the right structures and resources to do their vital work more effectively and efficiently.

Whether that means investing in innovative technology or working more closely with other public services to cut back-office bureaucracy, I want more police time being spent where it matters most – on the frontline.

A key priority for me is to make West Mercia more secure, ensuring people not only are safe, but feel safe too.

Types of crime are changing rapidly, and I will work closely with the chief constable to make sure priority areas get the attention they need. Whether they are emerging areas such as cyber-crime or extremism, or areas where we are seeing increased reporting such as domestic or sexual violence, or areas that have been ignored for too long such as business crime or rural crime, these are all issues which need strong leadership, specific understanding, appropriate resources and expertise.

Another key priority is to reduce response times. This is an area where performance has slipped in recent years, and I will work with the chief constable to try to address this.

It is undoubtedly a challenge when we have many rural areas but slower responses can have bad consequences, and I will do everything possible to make sure people get the right response, faster.

Problems like anti-social behaviour in our towns, speeding in our villages, shoplifting from our businesses and burglaries in our homes; these are all areas where we can achieve better results and tackle problems that really matter to people.

That means better detection rates, more effective work to prevent crime in the first place, and better services for people who do become victims of crime. It also means looking at how communities themselves can sometimes take the lead, with the police in a supporting role. There are some fantastic initiatives such as Community Speedwatch schemes already happening, where people are taking the lead in tackling an issue that matters to them.

I want to provide more of these opportunities and empower more people to get involved whether as a special constable, part of Neighbourhood Watch or volunteering with a charity. This is the kind of work that will help people feel safer.

I have met and spoken with so many people over the last few months, and I know people want more in every sense from the PCC role. I promise I will work hard to understand your needs, be extremely efficient with your money and start to deliver a safer West Mercia.