Worcestershire Liberal Democrats Slam Cuts to Police Staff While Police and Crime Commissioner Entourage bulges with huge salaries!

Worcestershire Liberal Democrats Slam Cuts to Police Staff While Police and Crime Commissioner Entourage bulges with huge salaries

The Worcestershire Liberal Democrats have condemned plans to cut key police staff roles across West Mercia, branding the move short-sighted and damaging to public safety – especially while the Police and Crime Commissioner’s own office has ballooned in size and cost.

More than 150 vital police staff – including emergency call handlers, forensic officers and investigators – are at risk of redundancy, reduced hours, or being pushed to resign. This comes under the guise of “efficiency savings”. The cuts will also include stopping Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) after 8pm.

But the Liberal Democrats have pointed out that efficiencies should start at the top, not with the essential workers who support frontline policing.

The PCC’s office now employs 67 staff, including 11 unelected officials earning more than £58,000 a year, and a Chief Executive on £106,478. By contrast Lancashire’s PCC office employs just 20, Warwickshire’s has around 13, and even West Midlands – a significantly larger force – employs 47.

“It’s totally out of proportion,” said Cllr Sharon Gibbons, former Chief Inspector Operations for West Mercia Police, and Liberal Democrat candidate for Bredon Division in the recent county council elections. “When they talk about ‘gaining efficiencies’, they never start with their own bloated political departments. They always cut the roles that keep policing functioning.”

“Support staff and PCSOs are critical to effective policing. They are often more cost-efficient than warranted officers and free up frontline teams to focus on crime prevention and response. Cutting them is not efficient – it’s short-sighted and damaging.”

Cllr Gibbons also took aim at the claim that “no police officers are being cut”:

“That’s deeply misleading. Police officers can’t be made redundant under law – so forces quietly cut numbers by not recruiting to vacant posts. It’s a stealth cut that the public feel in slower response times and reduced presence.”

The real-world impact is already visible in communities in and around Pershore, where:

• Just 4 PCSOs are expected to cover the town and a number of surrounding villages.
• They share a single car – when it’s available.
• Rural communities are often left with no immediate coverage, and preventative community policing is stretched to breaking point.

“Our PCSOs are doing an outstanding job with very limited resources,” Cllr Gibbons added. “But when you’ve got over 60 people in the PCC’s office, and only a handful on the ground in our communities – there is something seriously wrong with the priorities.”

 The Worcestershire Liberal Democrats are calling for an immediate review of the proposed cuts, a halt to the erosion of police support roles, and a realignment of resources toward frontline services - not inflated management structures.