Police 7 Shrewsbury town fans 6 - and it was a 'fair kop' say cops
Police nabbed the winner in an 'arresting' 13-goal football thriller against Shrewsbury Town fans.
West Mercia Police (North) was set up last October and has seen officers swapping their hobnail boots for the football variety and truncheons, radios and handcuffs for shorts in encounters.
West Mercia Police say it is all about promoting community engagement
The match took place on Wednesday July 6 is the latest bid from the force to increase community engagement to use the beautiful game as an icebreaker. The latest encounter was held at Shrewsbury Town Football Club’s training field, where West Mercia Police (North) won 7-6.
The aim of the matches is to allow officers to engage with different communities in a positive way, that can start conversations about what is concerning them in their local areas.
Detective Sergeant Craig Edwards, who has organised the matches, said: “These are a great way for us to reach out to our local communities and partners, as football is a universal language and is a great icebreaker which allows us to approach and interact with people from lots of different backgrounds.
“This week's match was the fourth we have held since we set up West Mercia Police (North) in October last year, and so far it has been received positively. Our first match was against Telford African and Afro-Caribbean Resource Centre when we were a six a side team – now we have grown and become an 11 a side team.”
The matches are held outside of working hours and also have huge benefits on officers health and wellbeing.
Craig added: “I set the team up post-covid, when we were able to start mixing in larger groups, as football helps to keep us active and has a very real and positive impact on our health and wellbeing.
"I don’t know about other people but I find exercising helps my general mood and focus. While the original aim of the team was to help my colleagues, it has now led to a great way to meet and speak to our local communities.”
> West Mercia Police is currently recruiting new police officers, and you can find out more about how you can become one by visiting the force's careers pages.
