West Mercia Police

His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary (HMI): HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Andy Cooke is temporary HMI for West Mercia.

This force is in the Wales and Western HMICFRS policing region.

Performance
News
Publications
Key Facts
About the force

HMICFRS’s assessment of West Mercia Police

Our PEEL (police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy), and other force assessments give you information about how your local police force has performed in several important areas.

In our latest assessments of West Mercia Police, we made the following judgments:

Good	Adequate	Requires improvement	Inadequate
Preventing crime and anti-social behaviour	Engaging with and treating the public with fairness and respect	Responding to the public	Disrupting serious organised crime
	Protecting vulnerable people	Investigating crime
	Managing offenders and suspects	Strategic planning, organisational management and value for money
	Building, supporting and protecting the workforce

Read our other reports for West Mercia Police

A report into the effectiveness of vetting and counter-corruption arrangements in West Mercia Police – November 2022
Report on an unannounced inspection visit to police custody suites in West Mercia – April 2022

Key facts – 2019/20

Force Area

2,860 square miles

Population

1.3m people

7% local 10 yr change

Workforce

93% frontline police officers

92% national level

3.10 per 1000 population

3.69 national level

4% 10yr change in local workforce

5% 10yr national change

Victim-based crimes

0.05 per person

0.06 national level

8% Local 5 year trend

9% National 5 year trend

Cost

50p per person per day local

59p per person per day national

About the force

West Mercia Police provides policing services to the areas of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and the Wrekin and Worcestershire. The police force area covers 2,860 square miles in the west of England.

There are areas of deprivation and areas of affluence in West Mercia.

Around 1.3 million people live in a predominantly rural setting. It has a number of relatively small urban areas that include the cities of Worcester, Hereford and Telford. The resident population is increased by university students and the large numbers who visit or travel through the area each year.

More about this area – What West Mercia Police says

Connect with West Mercia Police

West Mercia Police website

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner’s website