Police portion of council tax to rise by almost 5%

John Campion has been West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner since 2016, but faces re-election in May

West Mercia Police's share of council tax is set to rise by 4.91% from April.

The increase will help the force fill a funding gap of £6.9m in 2024-25.

Residents living in a Band D property will pay an extra £13 a year, taking West Mercia's overall council tax bill to £277.50.

Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said the investment would improve the force's visibility and boost its investigative work.

The additional funding will allow West Mercia Police to gain 10 new officers over the next year. This will take total officer numbers to 2,506 - the highest number on record.

But PCC John Campion said the "primary focus" of the budget would be to make good on investments from previous years.

To tackle a rise in retail crime, temporary Chief Constable Alex Murray said the force would create dedicated neighbourhood policing teams for town centres.

He also committed to protecting staffing in safer neighbourhood teams across West Mercia, to prevent officers being taken out to respond to 999 and other emergency calls.

Kyle Gordon has been named as the next permanent Chief Constable of West Mercia Police

"Due to the current national financial landscape difficult decisions have had to be made," Alex Murray said.

"But I want to reassure the communities we serve that we are prioritising the issues that we know matter most to them."

West Mercia Police's budget for 2024-25 will also see additional officers working to uphold professional standards, to ensure all the force's staff were vetted in a timely manner.

Plans were also outlined to protect Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) numbers, and increase the number of special constables in the force to 150.

'Tough decisions'

While the additional council tax will raise £3.6m for the force, it will also have to reduce some services to save £1.7m.

PCC John Campion said: "This budget has come with some tough decisions and, as a result, some changes will have to be made within West Mercia Police.

"However, it is important that we review this, and I have worked with the chief constable to ensure that resources are refocused towards the areas of priority and public concern."

Elections of police and crime commissioners across England and Wales will be held on 2 May, the same day as council elections.