Commissioner in pledge on staff after survey shows public seeing fewer bobbies on the beat

It comes as a large-scale survey indicates that the bobby on the beat is now a rare sight for a rising percentage of the population.

PCC John Campion said his focus is on making the county's "back office more efficient" in a bid to protect the number of police on the streets.

Mr Campion said he wants to make sure that front line officers are visible in the community.

"I have worked to protect numbers of PCs and PCSOs dedicated to community policing in West Mercia since my election," he said.

"I realise just how important police visibility is to reassuring our communities. That's why I have made transformation such a central part of my work. I have equipped every officer with mobile technology, enabling them to spend more time out and about, rather than stuck in an office."

Mr Campion said he will continue to make front line policing a central part of his plans.

He said: "My proposals for next year would continue to make the back office more efficient, whilst protecting frontline PC and PCSO numbers. This ensures more of West Mercia's resources are focused where they should be - on frontline policing."

Mr Campion said the issue is about striking the right balance between specialisation and neighbourhood policing.

"There needs to be a recognition that crime is changing," he said.

"Complex issues such as cyber crime, child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse require specialist police work that goes on behind closed doors.

"I will continue to make sure our police are striking the right balance between these specialist functions and the neighbourhood policing we value so much."

Mr Campion's comments came after a survey revealed that nearly half of people in England and Wales have not seen a uniformed police or community support officer on foot in their area in the last year.

While more than four-fifths of participants felt it was important to have a regular uniformed police presence, only 17 per cent believed they had this locally.

The proportion who said they had not seen a uniformed officer in their area was 44 per cent this year – up from 41 per cent in 2016 and 36 per cent in 2015.

The percentage saying they had not seen uniformed personnel in a vehicle in the past year was lower, at 12 per cent.

The survey of 12,662 people was carried out by Ipsos MORI for HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services to gauge perceptions of crime, safety and local policing.

A report detailing the findings noted that public sentiment around police visibility “can be strong and have a significant bearing on broader attitudes to policing and local safety”.

Elsewhere, the research found a marked increase in confidence in the police to provide protection during a terrorist attack.

Over half (55 per cent) said that they would be “very” or “fairly” confident in police dealing with such an incident, compared with 46 per cent in 2016.

National Police Chiefs’ Council chairwoman Sara Thornton said it had been a “challenging” year following five terrorist attacks, adding that the public’s increased confidence in the police service is “a real testament to the courage and professionalism of all of our officers and staff”.

Ms Thornton said: “Everyone in policing works tirelessly to earn the trust of the communities they protect and I am extremely proud of everything they have done this year.”