With the national news about culture in the Metropolitan Police I want to reassure you of the action being taken by West Mercia Police, your local police service, to ensure we are the best we can be for you, for victims and survivors and for our workforce.  

We are more inclusive, more diverse, and more reflective of our communities than we have ever been, but racism, misogyny, discrimination, and bias do still exist.  
What also exists is a drive to change, to improve. 

While serving as your Chief Constable, we have taken strides to quickly root out corrupt individuals and unacceptable behaviour in our ranks, and you will see those stories in this very paper – we will not be quiet about them. This sits alongside significant work to make sustainable improvements to standards and our vetting and misconduct processes. 

We know our bonds with our Black communities are fragile, there’s a lot we need to do to rebuild those relationships, to address race disparities and to change a legacy of distrust. 

We are delivering against the national Police Race Action Plan and listening to our communities. 

We are focusing on improving your trust and confidence in us, and particularly amongst women and girls. 

We are dedicated to tackling violence against women – with a determined and clear approach to bring offenders to justice and in doing all we can to prevent harm in the first place. 

You can read my full open letter on our website: www.westmercia.police.uk 

Chief Constable Pippa Mills