Hello and welcome to my latest newsletter. This edition includes: celebrating Remembrance Day differently; tackling and preventing crime in our community; continuing to support victims; a warning of the dangers of scams and a series of podcasts to keep you busy this lockdown, as I discuss a range of topics from Domestic Abuse to careers at West Mercia Police.
Due to the new COVID-19 government guidelines, my
office is mainly working from home and, whilst we are able to take phone calls to our usual OPCC number, I would encourage you to contact us by emailing opcc@westmercia.pnn.police.uk or by using our social pages ‘westmerciapcc’ on Facebook and twitter. Any members of the public needing to call the office can do so between 09:00 and 17:00, Monday – Friday. Please stay safe and look out for each other.
Myself and my office remembered those who gave their lives for our freedom, as we marked Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day differently this year.
I want to hear your stories and what the days mean to you…
Thinking of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, celebrating relatives who fought valiantly and remembering those who served at home are all close to our hearts.
Remembrance Sunday is a poignant event at West Mercia Police, and I am proud to have a number of reservists and veterans in the force.
And on the anniversary of the end of the First World War, myself and my office also observed the two-minute silence at 11am.
But what do the days specifically mean to you? What do you think of when you hear Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day? Do you have any family members who served at home or abroad?
It isn’t too late to share your thoughts and stories on my Facebook page, as we celebrate and remember the days together.
Thank you to those who had their say on key issues impacting you…
Around 1500 people participated in the survey below.
With the help of your Council Tax, I will set the police and victim services budget next year, and I ran a public survey to gather your views.
Thank you to those who let me know your concerns, what your priorities are, what it’s like where you live from a policing perspective and which areas of policing you would choose to spend more or less of your money. This helps shape the budget.
As part of my commitment to tackling Serious and Organised Crime, I am pleased to work with the force as we continue to tackle the issue through Operation Protect
In the past week, a county line drug dealer – Robin Naughton, 41, from the West Midlands – was jailed for 28 months on two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. He was caught with heroin and crack cocaine in Commercial Road, Hereford. Read more here »
Another man was also sentenced to 39 months in prison for dealing drugs and carrying a knife. Read more here »
The impact of crimes such as child sexual abuse, county lines drug trades, modern slavery and human trafficking can be devastating and destroy individuals and damage entire communities.
I gave a round of ap-paws as the Government backed the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill
The Bill, aka Finn’s law, will mean animal abusers could face up to five years in prison, and is now onto the committee stage after passing its second stage in the UK House of Commons.
I am pleased to fund 116 more officers in the region compared to this time last year
As part of the national campaign to recruit 20,000 additional police officers over the next three years, it is great that West Mercia is ahead of schedule.
I am proud to fund the force’s Inclusion Volunteers project
It is fantastic to see students of New College Worcester flourish by joining the Inclusion Volunteers.
Not only do the students develop valuable skills for the future, but the positive impact they have had on Worcester Police Station highlights the importance of partners working together.
I am running another FREE online driver awareness session
Can you remember what every sign means? Can you tell what the speed limits are without signs? Can you spot hazards?
As part of my safer roads commitment, and following the success of the first session, the second FREE online driver awareness session will take place on Wednesday 18th November.
I am proud to fund and work with the ‘We Don’t Buy Crime’ team, who do a brilliant job in tackling and deterring criminal behaviour…
I met with Ram, Estelle and Frank of ‘We Don’t Buy Crime’ as they showed off three newly branded vehicles
It is great that they will be visible throughout West Mercia, helping to deter criminals and celebrate the areas already protected by the ‘We Don’t Buy Crime’ scheme.
Continuing to deliver on my commitment to victims…
Recently I called on the Government for urgent support to maintain virtual remand hearings. To continue delivering on my commitment to victims, we must ensure the justice system works for them.
I reaffirm my commitment to thousands of domestic abuse victims
I have finalised my domestic abuse plan which aims to reduce the number of people who suffer from DA, whilst ensuring that the right support is provided locally to victims & survivors.
There has been a spate of courier fraud offences happening across West Mercia, with Shropshire seeing a recent increase in the number of people conned out of thousands of pounds.
Anyone who receives these calls should hang up and report it immediately to Action Fraud online (link below) or by ringing 0300 123 2040.
This year, fake PayPal emails have lead to the loss of over £8 million. The emails trick victims into believing they have received payment for items they’re selling on the platform.
We are warning people selling items online to be on the lookout for criminals sending the fake emails.
We must all be careful when shopping online this Christmas
As well as avoiding scam websites and messages, follow the tips below to minimise any fallout should you be unlucky enough to fall victim to online crime.
The Safer West Mercia Podcast continues to grow and now has over 500 downloads!
Latest episodes…
1) Domestic Abuse – Are you or someone you know suffering at the hands of an abusive partner? I spoke to Sue Coleman from West Mercia Women’s Aid about the services available for those in need of help.
2) A career in policing? – I sat down with student officer Simon Redman as we covered his reason for joining the force, an insight into his training and what advice he would give to someone thinking of a career at West Mercia Police.
3) Safer Roads – I talked to Lee and Nigel from West Mercia Police about how Op Snap has enabled the public to help make West Mercia’s roads safer.
4) The Drive project – Rosie Jarvis from ‘Safe Lives’ and Lisa Ignoscia from Cranstoun joined me to discuss the Drive project which works to end domestic abuse by challenging and changing perpetrator behaviour.
Making sure the community work done by volunteers doesn’t go unnoticed
Deputy PCC Tracey Onslow thanked Independent Custody Visitor (ICV) John Cairns for his 25 years service as a volunteer. John recalled his time of being an ICV and said he thoroughly enjoyed the role, which involves visiting custody suites and making sure detainees are being looked after.
We must continue to adhere to the COVID guidelines.
Christmas is a time for friends and family. But, the message is loud and clear – we need to do everything we can to make sure we reduce COVID infection if we’re to celebrate Christmas with our loved ones.
Wash your hands, cover your face and make space, and we will get through this together.
https://astleyanddunley-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/astley-and-dunley-logo.png00Rogerhttps://astleyanddunley-pc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/astley-and-dunley-logo.pngRoger2020-11-16 09:36:382020-11-16 09:36:38Update from West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our site functions. You can block or delete them by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website.
Google Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visist to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
Privacy Policy
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
