PLANS to offer greater protection to police pursuit drivers have been welcomed by the region’s police and crime commissioner.

Under government proposals, laws surrounding moped and motorcycle crime will be changed to recognise police pursuit drivers’ high levels of training.

Officers have said they could find themselves reprimanded for pursuing criminals on mopeds and motorcycles and the changes aim to dispel the myth that officers cannot pursue riders who are not wearing helmets.

Whilst a trend of crimes committed on mopeds has appeared in some of the UK’s big cities, it is ‘exceptionally rare’ in West Mercia but Mr Campion believes the reforms will still benefit local officers and communities in other pursuit scenarios.

He said: “I believe strongly in giving our police the tools to do their jobs more effectively and this is an example of that.

“The Government has listened to our police and come up with a common sense solution that will benefit all parties.

“Police pursuit drivers are highly trained and exceptionally skilled. I hope this change will give officers the confidence to do their jobs even more effectively. I also hope it shows how much we all value their work to keep us safe, which I have worked to highlight through my #BehindTheBadge campaign.”