Elsworth Village: Police Community Support Officers

Police Community Support Officers

Written 17/09/03

The following is a background paper from East Cambridgeshire District Council on the Cambridgeshire Constabulary PCSO scheme. If you have any comments, please send them to Liz Sim -

Cambridgeshire Constabulary are approaching the district and parish councils in Southern Division (excluding the City, who are making other arrangements as they do not have parish council level fundraising) to ask whether they are interested in “buying” more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) for their area. There are several parishes in South Cambs that are policed by Central Division. This will not effect this process as Central Division have agreed to put in place any arrangement made within the South Cambridgeshire District Council Area. The Constabulary are writing a service level agreement (SLA) for parish and district councils, which clearly outlines what the councils can expect for their contribution; level and area of deployment is expected to correspond to levels of local contributions. Councils will not be asked for input on the recruitment or management of PCSOs. The SLA will be sent to all district and parish councils as soon as it is available, and definitely before the information evening on 7 October.

Powers and duties

PCSOs will be trained to be a link between the community and police officers, targeting low-level crime such as anti-social behaviour, vandalism, graffiti and dog fouling. They will also deal with problems such as abandoned vehicles and litter, giving police officers more time to focus on core tasks and serious crime. Their role will be to reinforce, not replace existing officers. Their impact will be most significant on low level disorder, visible levels of policing and the reassurance that brings. East and South Cambridgeshire are statistically low crime areas, but these issues are always voiced as the principal concerns of our residents.

The Police Reform Act 2002 provides a schedule of powers that can be given by the chief constable to the PCSOs. The chief constable can provide his PCSOs with any or all of the powers on the schedule, and has chosen to provide the following.

The issue of fixed penalty notices in respect of
- Cycling on the footway
- Disorder
- Dog fouling
- Litter
Confiscation of alcohol in designated public places
Confiscation of alcohol from young persons
Confiscation of tobacco from young persons
Removal of abandoned vehicles
Seizure of vehicles used to cause alarm
Entry to premises to save life or limb or to prevent serious damage
Carrying out road checks
Enforcing cordon areas under s.36 Terrorism Act 2000
Stop and search of vehicles and items carried by persons in authorised areas under s 44 and 45 Terrorism Act 2000, if in the company of a constable.
Regulating traffic for the purpose of escorting abnormal loads
Stopping vehicles for the purpose of testing
Power to require name and address for a relevant offence
Power to require name and address form a person acting in an anti social manner
Designation as Traffic Wardens giving them the appropriate powers.

There is no power to detain beyond that of an ordinary citizen. Such a power exists but has only been provided to certain police forces and not to Cambridgeshire.

PCSO working hours are 8am - midnight, 7 days a week (not Bank Holidays). They will work an 8hr shift pattern and the amount of coverage over these times will depend on the number of PCSOs covering any one area. It is expected that during an 8hr shift, at least 6 hrs will be spent on the beat.

Current allocation in South and East Cambridgeshire

At present, Home Office funding alongside other police funding will allow for 3 PCSOs in East Cambridgeshire and 3 PCSOs in South Cambridgeshire. Home Office funding is confirmed at this stage until end of March 2006. Continued employment of PCSOs will rely on continued funding from existing sources and/or finding additional sources of funding.

Cost of buying more

Funding partners can buy PCSOs to cover specific areas. 100% funding from other sources such as District and Parish Councils is needed to secure further PCSOs. PCSOs may work across more than one parish, depending on the levels of local contributions.

The cost per PCSO is:

£27874 for the year 2004-2005 (which includes salary with on-costs, equipment and training)

£23412 for the year 2005-2006

Funding considerations for South and East Cambs

When deciding on a funding option the Councils will need to consider that existing PCSO Government funding is only guaranteed to 31^st March 2006, but PCSOs are being employed on permanent contracts. There will be a review of the scheme in 2005; If the evaluation of the first year of PCSO deployment shows a success and demonstrates added value for the residents of South and East Cambridgeshire we will be asked for further funding or to help identify alternative sources of funding for PCSOs.

Options for South and East Cambs Parish and District Councils are:

For parish and district councils to support the introduction of PCSOs in the Districts, but provide no financial support.
For parish councils to contribute 100% of the funding for further PCSOs.
For district councils to contribute 100% of the funding for further PCSOs.
Where district councils agree a sum of funding for PCSOs for 2004-6, this sum will be split in a joint funding arrangement with the parishes who wish to fund PCSOs.

A decision making process for funding will need to be agreed.

What the Cambridgeshire districts are doing

Cambridge City Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council and South Cambs District Council have not yet made their decisions.
Huntingdon District Council has bought 14 PCSOs at a cost of £350k per annum. Members here were already looking to buy a uniformed presence for the district and so budget bids were tied in with the PCSO programme at an early stage.
Fenland District Council has bought 2 PCSOs
In all other areas, Parish Councils may put forward funding for PCSOs aside from what the district councils decide.
Peterborough has 6 PCSOs in one ward, Orton Goldhay, fully funded through the first round of HO bidding. The City Council has declined to put any money into additional PCSOs due to commitment to its street warden programme.

<- Newer Older ->