04-04-2025
Record levels of female officers at West Mercia Police
West Mercia Police has reached record-breaking levels of female officers.
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), John Campion, highlighted this achievement in his latest Assurance and Accountability session with Chief Constable Richard Cooper.
The meeting focused on creating a police force that truly represents the diverse communities in West Mercia.
The past year saw a rise in recruits from ethnic minority groups, but the force acknowledged more needs to be done to support these under-represented groups.
Efforts are underway to provide more guidance to women and ethnic minority officers, who are currently less likely to seek promotion.
The meeting also examined the experiences of those with disabilities, both seen and unseen, when contacting the force.
This allowed the Chief Constable to explain the ongoing work to ensure officers are properly trained to engage with all community members.
He also stressed the importance of officers feeling empowered to report inappropriate behaviour from colleagues.
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PCC John Campion said: "Policing comes back to the Peelian principle of 'the police are the public and the public are the police.' That's why it's vital that West Mercia Police is representative of the communities it serves."
Mr Campion praised the progress made but insisted more needs to be done.
He said: "Progress is being made, but I am committed to challenging and supporting West Mercia Police to go further and faster to increase representation, deliver a high-quality service, and root out those who fall below the high standards the public rightly expect."
