OSWESTRY will be boosted with extra police and community officers as part of a new ‘town centre’ initiative, which has been welcomed by politicians.

Last week, West Mercia Police temporary Chief Constable Alex Murray confirmed that Oswestry was one of 10 locations in the region to receive a ‘Town Centre police and community support team’.

Temporary Chief Constable Murray said the move, funded by West Merica Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, is to bolster current policing teams under pressure from increased crime rates in town centres.

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He said: “The town centre teams will bolster local policing in our communities, making sure we have officers in the places we know you want to see them and tackling the issues that really matter to you.  

“These extra officers will work alongside response teams to make sure we are where you need us – be it in the towns and cities or the more rural areas of the three counties we serve.”

The announcement was welcomed by North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan, who says that crime and anti-social behaviour is a continual issue in Oswestry over the past few years, with residents regularly expressing concern over lack of visible policing.

In 2023, she participated in a public meeting with then mayor Councillor Jay Moore, Superintendent Stuart Bill, and Mr Campion last year to discuss policing levels.

She argued for investment in policing numbers, particularly to target the rise in local anti-social behaviour and combat county lines.

“On the doorstep, people in Oswestry regularly express concern about increasing levels of shop-lifting and anti-social behaviour,” she said.

“At last year’s public meeting, residents rightly demanded better, and I fully supported their calls for increased investment in policing levels around Oswestry.

“It is really good to see plans extra police on the ground to combat the issues we’ve seen in Oswestry town centre over the past few years, and this is a testament to a lot of hard work and local campaigning.

“I’ll be keeping a close eye on the impact this has, but it is certainly a positive step.”

Cllr Moore, who was Mayor at the time of the public meeting, added: “Residents in Oswestry, Gobowen, and all of the surrounding villages made themselves very clear at the public meeting last year.

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“It was always a mistake to reduce town centre policing numbers, and so I’m really pleased to see the PCC has decided to set up a new team that takes the problem seriously and gets us nearer to where we need to be.

“I’m looking forward to working with the PCC and residents on this, as I know other councillors are too.

“Getting this right is really important to deliver safer streets both for people in Oswestry and for the wider area that looks to the town as their hub for local services.”