This year, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) celebrate 20 years of delivering neighbourhood policing. The PCSO role was created by the 2002 Police Reform Act and since that time PCSOs have more than proved their worth.
SPECIAL EVENT IN PARLIAMENT
UNISON members and PCSOs Nad Ikram from Leicestershire and Tracey Burnett from Lincolnshire were honoured at a recent even in Parliament. We want to congratulate and thank them for their service.
UNISON – THE UNION FOR PCSOs
UNISON is the union for PCSOs. We are proud to represent them and the vital work that they do. We hope that everyone with an interest in policing will join with us and our members to toast the success of PCSOs in delivering neighbourhood policing over the last 20 years. Without PCSOs there simply is no local policing.
PCSOs ARE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICING
PCSOs provide a highly visible police presence. They deter anti-social behaviour, provide reassurance, gather intelligence and work with businesses, schools and statutory partners to keep communities safe. PCSOs are a force for good.
People love PCSOs’ visibility, their in-depth knowledge of local areas and their approachability. The PCSO role attracted the highest ever proportion of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic new joiners to the police service. Put simply, PCSOs are key to maintaining public confidence in policing.
THE IMPACT OF PCSO CUTS
Despite their success, PCSO numbers in England have been cut by 45% since 2010. In March 2010 there were 16,918 PCSOs on the beat. By March 2021 this number had fallen to 9,284. That’s 7,634 fewer PCSOs now than 12 years ago.
You can check what is happening with PCSO numbers in your local force by looking at the Home Office Police Workforce statistics which we have reproduced in the resources section below. This workforce data shows that in the year between March 2020 and March 2021 (the latest year for which data is available) 21 forces had cut their PCSO numbers. Data for March 2022 will be published at the end of July 2022 and will be updated here in due course.
SUPPORT FOR PCSOs in WALES
In Wales, by contrast, the Welsh Government has invested in additional PCSOs, showing very clearly that, where there is political will, neighbourhood policing can be actively grown.
7,600 NEW PCSOs NEEDED
Without new PCSOs in England, neighbourhood policing simply won’t recover from the austerity cuts. UNISON is calling for funding (ringfenced if necessary) for police forces in England to recruit 7,600 new PCSOs to replace those cut since 2010.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR PCSO CAMPAIGN
The following resources support our campaign to rebuild PCSO numbers in England:
Happy 20th Anniversary PCSOs greeting card:
Celebrating 20 Years of Police Community Support Officers commemorative booklet:
English version
Home Office Police Workforce Data:
Police community support officers by police force area, English regions and Wales
CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions on the information set out here, or want more details about UNISON’s campaign to rebuild the PCSO workforce, please contact Ben Priestley, National Officer, UNISON Police and Justice:
b.priestley@unison.co.uk