Archived decisions

POLICE COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICERS (PCSOs)

1. The Chief Constable has been successful in securing funding from the Home Office for 25 out of a bid for 50 PCSOs for the Hampshire Constabulary. Recruitment is currently underway with a view to the officers being fully trained by 31 March 2005 in order to secure the available funding.

2. Before deciding to accept the funding on offer, the Authority had acknowledged that, whilst the 25 PCSO posts would provide additional resources, it needed to be mindful of the stark choices which would have to be made when the phased funding for such posts ran out. In addition, Members had regard to the significant work which had been undertaken by the Force in developing the Accredited Community Safety Officer (ACSOs) Scheme in the two counties which also provided visible reassurance to the public but was provided in partnership with other agencies.

3. The Authority also expressed some concerns with regard to the granting of increased powers to PCSOs which, it was felt, would negate some of the benefits of the role of a PCSO which was to provide a stable, community-based presence on the streets, unencumbered by paperwork and the fear of abstraction to other areas. In this respect, the Authority confirmed its preference to appoint additionally fully trained police officers particularly as it was noted, that the salary of a PCSO would be approximately £22,000 (including shift allowance) whereas for a fully trained probation police constable it would be approximately £25,000. Therefore, as PCSOs were normally deployed in pairs, the cost of providing additional public reassurance far exceeded the cost of employing an additional fully trained warrant holding police officer.

4. These points were pursued with the Home Office and, in particular, clarification was sought with regard to the utilisation of the available funding for the purpose of employing additional regular police officers or the employment of PCSOs on the basis that any such officers would be appointed on the clear understanding that their terms of office might expire when the designated Home Office funding ceased.

5. The response from the Minister, Hazel Blears MP, whilst not fully answering the Authority's questions or allaying its concerns entirely, did, however, highlight the Government's desire to see PCSOs on the streets of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and clarified the nature of the short term funding currently on offer.

6. The Authority, therefore, agreed that the offer of funding for 25 PCSOs should be accepted, those officers to be employed on a two year fixed term contract. In the meantime, the Authority will await clarification of the Government's intentions with regard to funding in Years 3 and 4.

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