West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has welcomed plans to invest West Mercia Police's cash reserves to protect front line staff numbers. Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has published plans which will see the force spend £31 million of its reserves on policing and infrastructure. The MP has supported the proposal which will see the forces' extensive cash reserves reduced to £13 million. Total funding for the police will rise to £206.5 million this year alongside a commitment to ensure more resources go into frontline policing The PCC is proposing a package of measures to deliver further efficiencies to back office functions together with a proposal to raise the precept by £7.58 for the average council tax bill payer. Harriett commented: "For several years, I have been urging West Mercia Police to deliver greater levels of efficiency savings and to use their extensive reserves to ensure more resources go towards supporting frontline policing. "I support this plan adopted by the Police and Crime Commissioner as he attempts to deal with increasingly complex crimes like domestic abuse, sexual violence and child sexual exploitation. "I have also written to him urging him to focus on preventing crime in the more rural areas of Worcestershire and to show progress detecting crimes like the cashpoint raids on our local stores. "By bringing the reserves down to more manageable levels, I am pleased to support John Campion's efforts to improve policing across Worcestershire."