WEST Mercia police is prepared to dangle an £8,000 carrot in a bid to attract additional recruits from across Britain.

The force must find 300 extra officers by the end of 2003 to meet a Police Authority target.

At their annual meeting, Police Authority members decided that the incentive - in the shape of housing fees - would attract a greater number and calibre of recruits into the force.

Some members were concerned that other forces struggling with crime would suffer from the recruitment drive.

But Chief Constable Peter Hampson told them that "if people want to transfer here then we should encourage them to come. It's my responsibility to get them in".

"We will pay up to £8,000 for people to move. If they can move for less, then fine."

The £400,000 12-month recruitment incentive is seen as the most immediate way to put experienced officers on the beat.

The cost would be met from the balance of budget available due to the phased recruitment of the 300 officers.

Robbery increase

The news comes as performance indicators for West Mercia revealed street robbery was on the increase.

There were 422 robberies two years ago, compared to 647 for 2001-2002, but Mr Hampson said this was reflected across the whole country.

He also revealed that class A drug arrests were low.

The force was aiming to snare the major suppliers further upstream than small-time users.

Recruiting more minority ethnic police officers and reducing working days lost through sickness were other areas to be improved.

Current achievements included a reduction in the level of recorded vehicle crimes and quicker immediate response times in rural areas.

Sixty-four people have already completed the selection process for appointment as probationer constables. Up to 17 serving officers, who wish to transfer to West Mercia, have already been interviewed.

The Police Authority also agreed a figure of £11,226,300 for its capital programme for 2002-2003.