County teams merged in police shake-up

West Mercia Police is to restructure how it delivers policing by moving from away from five local policing areas to two.

From Monday, the new structure sees one local policing area (LPA) cover Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, with the other for Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Prior to the changes, the force had separate LPAs covering Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, North Worcestershire, South Worcestershire and Herefordshire.

Each team is headed up by a chief superintendent supported by a command team made up of superintendents, chief inspectors and detective chief inspectors.

An LPA is essentially a police team that is responsible for the overall policing and management of the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Grant Wills said: "The change in our operating model focuses on making sure we deliver the highest standard of policing and ensures our resources are used in the most effective way.

"Our goal is to build a long‑term, sustainable structure that meets demand, supports our teams and provides an outstanding service to the public."

It comes after the force confirmed the recruitment of 29 additional police constables, five dedicated rural crime officers, two sergeants, and 20 Police Community Support Officers.

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