'Fair deal' call on £6 million Shropshire police shortfall
Police officers in Shropshire are being hampered by a shortfall of funding of almost £6 million, according to crime commissioner John Campion.
He is now demanding a fairer deal for the West Mercia force and will hold talks with a senior government minister.
Tory Mr Campion was backed in his election campaign by then home secretary Theresa May.
Now he is calling for the government under her leadership to provide a fairer share of resources.
He will meet Brandon Lewis, the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service, next week to discuss the issue.
The move follows a report that showed that the region attracts around £5.8 million less in funding than others of a similar size.
Mr Campion said West Mercia Police faced unique challenges including the costs of operating in largely rural sparsely populated areas, rural deprivation, a significant amount of crime with roots in neighbouring urban areas and the imbalance in council tax levies between areas which get a higher government grant and those which get less.
He said: "I don't feel the current funding formula acknowledges these properly and certainly doesn't offer our communities the sort of value for money they should rightfully expect. This was echoed in a recent HMIC report which showed West Mercia Police is underfunded when compared to its peers.
"The Value for Money report showed the force receives around £5.8m less than other forces of a similar size and demand. Whilst it receives a lower than average demand for 999 calls and emergency incidents, it does receive a higher demand for victim based crimes, in particular violent crimes and crimes against children.
"West Mercia Police has an above average number of police officers in relation to the population size, and has a higher than average number of suspects identified. Investments are also being made in information and communications technology modernisation to improve efficiencies and effectiveness in the future.
"With fairer funding, we could improve resources to the areas of greatest demand and provide better services for victims. I am grateful for the chance to discuss this important issue with the minister and I am reassured that he and the government are committed to resolving this issue and providing a fairer distribution of police resources, to better serve our communities."
The force is updating its communication systems so that more telephone calls are answered by the right department and there are plans to make better use of emails and voicemail.
