How I will deliver a safer West Mercia – by police and crime commissioner John Campion

This is the challenge I have set myself: to take our strong foundation of a good police force and create an even safer West Mercia.

This means giving our officers the tools, skills and processes to do their work more effectively and more efficiently.

It also means establishing West Mercia as a modern, dynamic, innovative police force whilst retaining the traditional fundamentals of good policing.

The force must sustain and extend its connections and relationships with local communities by improving engagement, visibility and accessibility.

For our communities, it will mean empowering people to play a more active role in identifying and tackling local issues.

Active citizenship can and should have a major part in creating communities which are safer, stronger and more united.

I want to ensure people have the opportunities and tools to make more positive contributions to their own communities, with appropriate backing from the police or other partners as required.

I also want to provide a better service for victims of crime. Where people do fall victim, I will ensure they consistently get the support they need to cope, recover and prevent re-victimisation.

For partner agencies, it will mean working closer together to achieve the best possible value and results for the public.

We will need to be reactive and adaptive together, as society, culture and technology evolve, to ensure we deliver the priorities the public needs.

None of this will be easy but I will work tirelessly to make it a reality.

My plan outlines how I will ensure West Mercia is served by a modern, more effective and efficient police force.

It outlines how I will enable more active citizenship, empowering communities themselves to help tackle local issues. It outlines how I will work with partners to achieve the best possible results and value for the public.

I will ensure improved and more consistent services for the victims and witnesses who suffer most from crime.

I will ensure they get the right help to cope and recover at every point of their journey.

As your commissioner I will set out my commitment in a new Victims' Charter, clarifying what services victims can expect.

I will make best use of any new responsibilities from government to further enhance services for victims and witnesses locally and support the appropriate use of restorative justice.

A Victims Board will co-ordinate victim services which help victims cope and recover.

It will ensure victims and witnesses get the right information at the right time, and act on recurring concerns about victims in the criminal justice system.

It will identify and resolve issues around regarding policies and processes.

I will reduce harm and increase safety in communities right across West Mercia, particularly for our most vulnerable people.

From my perspective this is a non-negotiable part of policing and a key commitment from my partners. Together we can build a more secure West Mercia by understanding and tackling the causes of crime, improving community resilience and cohesion and being more responsive to emerging threats.

In building a more secure West Mercia, my particular focus areas will be:

• Child sexual exploitation, domestic and sexual abuse, safeguarding vulnerable adults and children

• Rape and sexual offences

• Drugs and alcohol

• Violent crime

• Anti social behaviour

• Serious and organised crime

• Reducing reoffending

• Road safety

I will make sure the Safer Roads Partnership responds to community concerns as well as working to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and provide oversight and support to West Mercia's Reducing Reoffending Strategy.

I will ensure there are fewer repeat victims and offenders, and increased reporting of offences. I will deliver reduced or stable levels of recorded crime and anti-social behaviour.

West Mercia Police is a professional, hard-working force that delivers a good service to its communities. I will build on those foundations by transforming the organisation into a modern, innovative force, leading the way nationally and delivering even more locally.

I will back the force with the investment and resources it needs to become more responsive to changing demands.

In return I will hold them robustly to account to ensure the police deliver the service our communities need to be safe and feel safe.

Together, the chief constable and I will 'invest to save', so the force can be more adaptable and make best use of its resources.

We will join up services and commissioning with partners where there are operational and financial benefits.

It is vital our communities are not only safe, but feel safe too. I will create more opportunities for communities to not only raise local issues, but also play a leading role in resolving them.

I want to enable more active citizenship and will ensure people get the tools, training or expertise they need in order to help themselves and their communities. This will include updated and improved technology, using new internet and social media platforms.

Building a safer West Mercia is not and cannot be the sole responsibility of any one person or organisation. I am committed to effective partnership working and this principle will be essential in achieving many of the objectives in this plan.

I will work with my regional counterparts of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands and wider regional and national partners to ensure we have the capability and capacity to tackle major challenges to public safety.

I will explore further collaboration with other police forces, particularly our neighbouring regional forces. I will work with other police and crime commissioners to improve and increase our collaborative working.

Put together, the aim is to create a police force that is known and respected both nationally and locally for its outstanding performance.