Police visibility on the up but confidence in receiving a good service down

Police visibility has improved according to the results of the PCC’s latest perception survey, but confidence in receiving a good service from West Mercia Police is at its lowest. 

The results for the period covering October to December 2025 found 21% of those surveyed said they saw a PCSO or officer at least once a week, a 5% rise when compared to the same quarter in 2024; with 58% saying they were happy with the levels of policing in their area. 

The survey results also showed that 14–24-year-olds were most likely to report higher visibility rates (40%), an increase of 12% compared to the same period the previous year.  

This may be due to them being outside in urban areas more, where police presence through the PCC’s town centre policing teams is more prominent.  Conversely, residents aged 65+ were least likely to report higher rates of visibility (13%). 

Confidence in receiving a good service from West Mercia Police is at its lowest since the survey was first launched in 2018, with 71% of respondents saying they felt confident they would receive a good service from the force. For the same period in 2018, that figure was 83%, hitting a high of 90% at the end of 2020. 

This trend has also been seen in the victim satisfaction survey which has seen burglary and violent crime satisfaction rates decreasing.  

However, overall confidence levels remain steady at 80%, and nine out of every 10 people surveyed felt the force had their support, and they trusted West Mercia Police. 

More than seven in every 10 respondents (71%) felt West Mercia Police had a good understanding of the issues affecting their local area. 

This may reflect the high level of engagement carried out by the PCC and his team, as well as ongoing efforts to better understand rural concerns. 

In Quarter 3 last year, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner carried out 75 engagement activities, a significant rise from 45 in Q3 2024/25. 

Almost 9 out of 10 respondents (87%) said they felt their local area was safe over the three-month period, and 78% felt that crime and ASB was being dealt with by the force. 

• Take a look at the figures for where you live 

PCC John Campion said: “While it’s good communities feel understood and are overall happy with the level of policing, it’s clear there’s more work to be done around victim satisfaction and confidence in receiving a good service from the force. 

“I will be raising this with the Chief Constable and will ensure he has the necessary resources to deliver the standard of service our communities rightly expect. 

“We will use this survey and other feedback we receive as part of our ongoing work to ensure communities feel the benefits, as set out in my West Mercia Safer Communities Plan.”