This month I am continuing to highlight the impact of violence against women and girls on society with a focus on educating, empowering and encouraging a societal change.

DPCC Tracey Onslow and APCC Nicola Lowery are taking over the month to encourage women and girls to speak up.

You can follow this months campaign here

This month we welcomed Dame Carol Black to highlight how the DIVERT project is working to deter drug offenders away from more serious offences.

The DIVERT project launched last year and offers early intervention to those found in possession of a small amount of drugs.

Find out more about the visit here.

I am calling for better services to victims of ASB from West Mercia Police. An audit into anti-social behaviour reports made to the force, found significant gaps where a crime was identified but not recorded or passed to a local policing team to investigate

It is vital that victims have a voice and that crimes are fully recorded and investigated.

Read the full story here

This month I joined Chief Constable Pippa Mills and Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier as part of a multi-agency operation tackling metal theft and other offences.

Metal theft costs the UK approximately £350 million a year and is often tied to other serious crime.

Click here to find out more about the operation.

Knife crime is a cultural issue that we need to tackle as a society. As PCC I am committed to playing my part in this societal change. This means tackling crime at the root through education, prevention and ensuring the police are well resourced for enforcement.

The Knife Angel is iconic and continues to make an impact, particularly with the workshops and preventative work linked to its arrival. We are all aware of the devastating impact of knife crime and having this clear visual reminder will play another part in helping to keep our communities safe.

I am proud to have played a part in bringing this fantastic sculpture to West Mercia.

Click here to find out what events are happening throughout March 

This month I brought together partners from community safety partnerships across West Mercia to identify ways to work better together for the benefit of the community.

It is important for us to come together for the benefit of the communities we represent and understand what each area is doing and where improvements can be made in order to tackle crime and make West Mercia safer.

Find out more here 

I will continue to support West Mercia Search and Rescue and Severn Area Rescue Association with investment so they can continue to support the communities of West Mercia.

Both organisations do outstanding work with skilled professional volunteers dedicating hours of their own time to help others. The investment I have made is a small contribution which allow these unpaid professionals to dedicate themselves to keeping people safe.

Find out more here

I have awarded an additional £10k in funding to support Shrewsbury based organisation PEGS (Parental Education Growth and Support).

I am dedicated to putting victims and survivors first and pleased to award further funding to PEGS, a worthy organisation who work tirelessly to support those who are abused by their children.

Read the full story here

The Safer and Stronger Communities Project is a £2.5million investment into initiatives which help residents feel safer in their homes through prevention of crime and anti-social behaviour.

Find out more about the partnership approach here 

In the latest episode I sat down with Dr Matthew Home from Willowdene Rehabilitation to hear about the great work they do in order to prevent people reoffending.
Since the reunification of probation in June 2021, Willowdene is the highest performing prime provider of probation services across England and Wales, and the only prime provider to hit 100% of its targets.

Listen here