RESIDENTS still have confidence and trust in West Mercia Police, according to an independent study.

The study, which comes from interviews with 3,000 people who live in the areas served by West Mercia Police, shows that there is still high levels of confidence and trust in the service.

Around two thirds felt that the police were doing a good or excellent job, while 70 per cent felt the police understood issues in the community and 86 per cent agreed that they had confidence in the police.

John Campion, Police and Crime Commissioner, wanted to ensure that the views of Shropshire residents were being listened to and acted on.

He said: "In my role as commissioner I want to ensure that the views of our communities are being listened to and being acted on.

"I am committed to making sure that people feel safe and that we are doing all we can to make improvements where needed.

"While the latest results show that a majority of people feel confident and have trust in their police force, there is always more to do – be it around improving police visibility, ensuring people feel safe as well as guaranteeing they will receive a good service.

"I will continue to listen to communities and work with West Mercia Police to improve the areas that need improvement."

Deputy Chief Constable, Amanda Blakeman, from West Mercia Police, was delighted to see that residents had confidence in the service.

"We join the police service with the desire and drive to help and to make a difference; that’s why it’s so pleasing to see that the people we serve have confidence in us," she said.

"We know that visibility of our officers remains hugely important the public and, with more than 200 additional officers joining the force this year and the anticipation of the national uplift, we are sure our communities will really see a positive difference.

"Of course the role we play in protecting our communities from harm is ever changing and these positive figures around trust and confidence do not mean we will be complacent.

"Every officer, member of staff and volunteer working for West Mercia Police is dedicated to providing the best service possible and we are striving to keep making improvements."