SATISFACTION levels of policing in Herefordshire have dropped by almost 10 per cent compared to last year, according to the results of the latest perception survey.

In response to the question ‘how good a job do you think West Mercia Police are doing in your area?’, just over five out of 10 people responded either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ for the period October to December 2024.

This compares to 64 per cent for the same period the previous year October to December 2023.

Respondents also feel policing is less visible, dropping from 16 per cent to 13 per cent of residents saying they saw a police officer or police community support officer at least once a week.

Some 85 per cent of respondents feel that anti-social behaviour is not much of a problem today.

Overall confidence in policing in Herefordshire is also slightly down compared to the same period last year, from 82 per cent to 77 per cent.

John Campion, West Mercia ‘s police and crime commissioner, who commissioned the survey, said: “The drop in satisfaction levels is a concern and one I will be meeting with the chief constable to address.”

Other findings for Herefordshire revealed that 91 per cent of those surveyed said they felt safe in the county over the three months October to December 2024.

Mr Campion added: “These surveys put the voice of the public at the heart of those performance meetings and help ensure residents and businesses in West Mercia not only get the policing service they deserve, but that the force delivers on the priorities that matter to them most.

“I have been clear in my West Mercia Safer Communities Plan that I want to put policing back into the heart of the community, and I am unrelenting in my focus to seeing a greater police presence in town centres and supporting our rural communities.”