West Mercia Police officer numbers fall by four per cent

The statistics show that there were the equivalent of 1,974 full-time officers employed by the force in March this year, a fall of 81 from the previous year when the figure stood at 2055.

The data also shows that less time was being spent on frontline policing, with 1,763 officers available for frontline duties in March this year, down 191 from 2017.

However, police and crime commissioner John Campion said the force was in the process of recruiting 100 extra officers.

The figures come as it emerged that police numbers in England and Wales were at their lowest level since 1996, leading to the Police Federation claiming that "policing in the UK is on the critical list".

Recent crime statistics show that recorded crime in the force area was up by four per cent, with violent crime showing a six per cent increase.

'Desperate shortage of officers'

Ché Donald of the Police Federation of England and Wales said government cuts were leading to a desperate shortage of officers on the streets.

"These new figures are proof, as if we even needed it, that policing in the UK is on the critical list," said Mr Donald.

"Thanks to government funding cuts, we now have the lowest number of police officers since 1996. The figures show we have lost more than 21,300 officers since 2010 – that’s a drop of 15% and the numbers keep going down every year."

Richard Elkin, director of enabling services for West Mercia Police, said the force was recruiting new officers at the moment.

"We will always ensure that the budget made available to us is maximised in terms of the numbers of police officers, police staff and volunteers across the force to ensure that we can reduce crime and disorder and protect our local communities from harm.

"We are currently recruiting to ensure that we have enough dedicated, skilled and talented individuals within our force that enable us to continue to deliver a high level of service and keep the people of West Mercia safe."

Police and crime commissioner for West Mercia John Campion said this year's budget ensured that the number of constables and community support officers was protected, and prioritised a greater proportion of resources towards the vital frontline services that communities value most.

"For those reasons West Mercia Police is able to recruit more than 100 new officers this year, while continuing to find efficiencies in back-office administrative functions," he said.

“The roll-out of mobile technology has improved productivity. It enables officers to do more policing work on the move, using time that was previously spent stuck in a car or at a desk. Work also continues to reduce the demand on our police through, for example, the use of body-worn video. As a result, we are seeing demand increase at well below the national average.”