'Action must be taken to address falling confidence in police' says commissioner as latest data revealed
Action is required to address a "fall in confidence levels" in police in Shropshire, the Police and Crime Commissioner has said.
Responding to a survey by the West Mercia PCC John Campion, 75 per cent of residents in Shropshire agreed that they have confidence in the county's police force. This figure is down from 80 per cent of people who responded to a survey last year.
Meanwhile, 81 per cent of people responding to the survey in Telford and Wrekin agreed that they have confidence in the force - the same figure as last year.
For the period January to March this year, residents were asked how good of a job they think West Mercia Police are doing in their area.
Mr Campion said 56 per cent of respondents in the Shropshire Council authority area said "excellent" or "good", down from 65 per cent in the same period last year.
Meanwhile Telford and Wrekin saw a three per cent drop with 59 per cent of residents responding with "excellent" or "good".
Despite the Office for National Statistics reporting a six per cent fall in crime in the West Mercia Police force area, Mr Campion said that action is needed to improve confidence in police.
He said: "Clearly action needs to be taken to address the fall in confidence levels and understand why communities are not feeling the benefits of the drop in crime.
"I will raise this in my next meeting with the Chief Constable and will work with him to deliver a West Mercia where people are not just safe, but feel safe too.
"I want to see effective engagement improved with community groups and for people to have confidence in policing."
Moreover, 16 per cent of residents in Shropshire said they saw an officer or PCSO at least weekly between January and March this year, as opposed to 22 per cent of residents in Telford and Wrekin.
The survey also asked residents whether they felt that anti-social behaviour was "much of a problem, if at all," in their area.
75 per cent of residents in Shropshire who responded to the survey said it was not compared to 72 per cent of residents in Telford and Wrekin.
Results from the survey can be found here.
