PROPOSED extra police numbers have been described as a “drop in the ocean”.

Mayor of Oswestry, Councillor Sandy Best, gave a cautious welcome to plans by West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion to bring 115 new officers to the region.

Cllr Best told the Advertizer: “First of all that may seem that it’s an excellent improvement but actually it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what we need.

“You have to take into consideration that all the officers you could find will also have to go through training, so how long will it be before they’re in place?”

She said that the proposal was a “move in the right direction”, but more needed to be done because of the size of the West Mercia region.

Of the impact on Oswestry, Cllr Best added: “Some time in the future one would hope that we would see some benefits from this.

“I’m not saying it will but I’m hoping we would [see the benefits].”

Mr Campion’s proposal is in addition to the 100 extra posts that he announced earlier this year.

He said: “I have listened to feedback from our communities in West Mercia who have been very consistent: people want more police officers, and they want to see them out on the streets, tackling crime and keeping us safe.”

If the proposals go ahead, it would take the number of West Mercia Police officers to around 2,150 officers – the highest level since 2012.

The investment would be funded by an increase in central grant funding from government.

But the taxpayer will also help to fund it with a rise in the police’s council tax precept of around £1.63 per month for the average household in 2019/20.

For 2019/20, the total draft budget for West Mercia is £224.4 million.

This includes an increase of approximately £2.4m in central funding.

“I believe my budget proposals deliver on that. It ensures the additional capacity for our hard-working police to deliver an even better service to communities, as well as an increase in dedicated resources for rural crime,” Mr Campion added.

“I promised I would ensure the public’s money is spent as efficiently as possible before asking for any more, and have delivered on that promise with the lowest council tax increases in England and Wales in the last two years.

“With a clear commitment to invest this extra resource directly into additional frontline officers, I hope the communities of West Mercia will support my proposals”.

A consultation on the draft budget started earlier this year, and will close on January 20, 2019.

Mr Campion told the Advertizer that the budget proposals would see more officers on the streets of Oswestry.

The commissioner said that the town was a low crime area, although incidents did occur, which safer neighbour teams were tasked with tackling.

“But it’s also recognised that if we want greater visibility and all those other things, we do need more bodies on the floor, which this [proposal] will deliver,” he added. – For more information on the commissioner’s plan and to comment on it, visit www.westmercia-pcc.gov.uk