Clause 4 - Standard powers and duties of community support officers
Police and Justice Bill
4:15 pm
Martin Horwood (Shadow Minister, Home Affairs; Cheltenham, Liberal Democrat)
I give the amendment cautious support, although the hon. Gentleman’s friends may have done terminal damage to the attempts of the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) to project a new model Conservative party. Perhaps he will recommend a gender awareness course to them soon.
The clause adds a degree of flexibility to the role of PCSOs, which seems an admirable thing given that it is local flexibility for a chief constable who will know the local circumstances. However, it is worth reiterating that PCSOs should not be seen as policing on the cheap. That is the exact phrase that ACPO used in 2002. It said that although they had
“rapidly established a unique role for themselves within the police service,”
they were
“best seen as a complement to, not a replacement for, the role of sworn police officers.”
In ACPO’s view, only sworn police officers were appropriate in certain circumstances, such as where
“there is a clear likelihood that a confrontation will arise ... Where there is scope for exercise of a high degree of discretion—for example, where a situation is complex owing to a number of different parties involved ... Where police action is likely to lead to a higher than normal risk of harm ... Where there is a clear likelihood that police action will include any infringement of a person’s human rights ... Where the incident is one which is likely to lead to significant further work”.
Therefore, there are clear boundaries to the role of PCSOs.
Nevertheless, I generally welcome the role they play, and I certainly do so in my constituency. They are a valuable contributor to a visible policing presence on the streets of Cheltenham and elsewhere. An occasional uniformed presence, especially on foot or on a bicycle, deters antisocial behaviour or low-level crime from occurring in the first place.