The new role of the Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) now in Westminster and across the Paddington Hyde Park Sector Working Group
The Future is Local and the role of PCSOs is vital working with police partners and communities across London. SWG Chair is seen here with PCSOs & confirms the importance of locals needing to know their police officers & PCSOs : and the officers to know the community & their local needs across the area.
"Having a local dedicated police officer and PCSOs will deliver the sort of policing that the people of Paddington have been demanding for a long time. The locals get to know their police officers and the officers to know the community, the local needs and the issues in the area."
- Chris Dell, Metropolitan Police, Paddington Green Division Policing Partnership Officer
The new uniforms on the streets of London.
Sir Ian Blair, QPM,
Deputy Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service
Sir Ian Blair in a recent 'Future of Policing' conference gave the following opinion on behalf of the Metropolitan Police on the new role of the Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs)
"The advantage of PCSOs is that they do not leave the streets, they do not go up town to do football or marches, they do not make arrests, they do not go to court, they do not need extensive training; they are there and the stories of their success are already legion. There is clearly a spectrum in the warden services provided by local authorities, along the well known journey from grime to crime, but we believe that there is an inherent advantage for the public in having one uniform, one accountability rather than a plethora of disjointed activities; we believe that PCSOs with access to and making contributions to Metropolitan Police intelligence systems will make the capital safer.
However, the argument goes far further than this. In Miami, 19% of the city is not patrolled by the public police but resides behind gated gates and guards. The ghettos of affluence of the great South American and South African cities are stark examples of what may go wrong. At a recent international conference of police chiefs in London this month, almost every major city chief noted their concern over the rise of housing associations, private developments and individuals seeking private security for patrol of their premises and the streets that surround them. In a city which has three hundred languages spoken in its schools, which is probably one of the most diverse cities on the planet, I believe this is inimical to public good. The Met will therefore rigorously seek to extend the coverage of its PCSOs, in due course, beyond local authorities to housing associations, to retail areas and even in the fullness of time, probably to community groups and housing developments. We are already in discussion with the Department of Constitutional Affairs, for instance, for PCSOs to take over the guarding of Court premises. I am sure that this is a journey which the police service has to make: we will compete in the marketplace. We have a value-added product and we will use it for the public good.
Much of this funding will be MET Police funding but much of it, of course, will be the funding already used by other people to purchase community safety. We just have to colour as much of that wider circle blue as possible. And, of course, the development of PCSOs has huge advantages; they bring a completely fresh seam of individuals into the police service, with 40% of our current employees being from minority communities, for instance. They are representative of a police service that is reinventing itself in terms of employee mix and will soon be joined by, I am quite sure, new breeds of civilian employee, detention officers, escort officers and investigating officers, without warranted powers. And we currently have a great opportunity."
To read Sir Ian Blair's speech in full on the 'Future of Policing' visit our Future Policing Plans page
Police Community Support Officers
Becoming a Police Community Support Officer empowers you to play a significant role in ensuring the safety and security of London's diverse and vibrant communities. A visible, uniformed presence, PCSOs fulfil a variety of different roles. If you would like to consider this as a career opportunity please visit the Metropolitan Police at http://www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=71
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