A POLICE force has been graded as 'good' by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

HMIC found West Mercia Police uses its powers fairly, treats people with respect and has a good relationship with members of the public.

The force, which serves Worcester, was rated 'good' in respect of its legitimacy and leadership, while it was also rated 'good' in an efficiency report during November.

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said: "We value the HMIC report into legitimacy as it encourages us to continue making improvements to our service, evolving our culture and how this is reflected in our engagement with the public.

"Police legitimacy is critical in the public's eyes for the police to be effective and efficient. We need a public that trusts and has confidence in its local police service.

"The report also recognises that as a force we are good at ensuring the workforce behaves ethically and lawfully and that we report transparently to the public the outcomes of misconduct and corruption cases.

"It also reflects that we are treating our workforce with fairness and respect and that the workforce recognises the force's commitment to health and wellbeing."

He continued: "All of my officers and staff are required to lead in their roles and this good report reflects leadership at all levels throughout the organisation.

"I am proud of the great strides we have taken to produce more diverse and highly skilled leadership teams within West Mercia Police and this work is not yet done.

"We are continuously looking for ways to improve and the recommendations suggested in the HMIC report will be added to our own assessments of our leadership capability.

"This will help to ensure that our communities receive an extremely professional service overseen by highly capable leaders dedicated to protecting them from harm."