Thousands of people across Worcestershire will help shape local policing services in the coming years as part of a new project

The joint scheme from the Police and Crime Commissioner and West Mercia Police will see members of communities asked their thoughts on police visibility, accessibility and integrity. Quarterly results will be published for each local policing area.

Those results will give the police a reliable evidence base to understand where communities feel well connected to the force and have high levels of confidence, and where improvements are needed.

They will also give PCC John Campion a more evidential basis for holding the Chief Constable to account.

Mr Campion said: “We know public confidence in the West Mercia force has grown in the last year, but I want to make sure we build on that success and make further improvements.”

West Mercia Police’s Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: “Having the public’s confidence in the policing service they receive is extremely important for both police and local communities.

"The more the public feel confident in our service, the greater their trust in police will be and the safer they will feel. For us as a force, greater confidence means people are more likely to come forward to report crimes, provide information, or simply just obey the law.

This project will help the force understand public confidence at a more local level and the factors that affect it. We can then be more pro-active in delivering the things that will improve it, and respond effectively to the things that damage it.”