Clause 32 - Powers of community support officers
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
11:15 am
Mr Bob Ainsworth (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Coventry North East, Labour)
It is important for community support officers to have the same powers as their
police officer colleagues to disperse groups and take home children who are under 16. A main role of CSOs is to provide visible community patrols, and they will often be the first to the scene of antisocial behaviour. Where they are assigned to local estates, villages or other residential areas, they will have the opportunity to get to know local youths, understand the problems that effect them and identify any that they cause to others.
We have already given CSOs several powers to deal with antisocial behaviour, and given their role in our communities, it makes sense for them to be able to deal with this form of antisocial behaviour, too. The alternative is for CSOs to have to stand aside and wait for police officers to arrive at the scene while a group of young people causes local people intimidation, harassment, alarm or distress.
CSOs are integrated with their police officer colleagues and will be able to call for their assistance at short notice if required. Where a larger group of people needs to be dispersed and the younger members have to be returned to their homes, CSOs and police officers will be able to work together, increasing the resources available to achieve the task. As with police officers, CSOs will not be able to use the powers unless an authorisation is given by a superintendent, and individual chief officers will have to decide in each case whether to designate CSOs with the power.
The power, necessary training and operational control remain—
It being twenty-five minutes past Eleven o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.
Adjourned till this day at half-past Two o'clock.