Police Con Still On schedule
January 20, 2007
I have a lot of respect for PCSO’s. They go out and patrol the streets in all weathers, they reassure the public and generally make the most of the restricted powers that they have. We’ve got some good ones in our force and I say that as a friendly nod to my colleagues in apology to what I’m going to say next.
Why do we have them?
At the moment the only purpose I can see is that they’re part of a UK-wide con to fool the general public into believing there are more police officers on the streets. Billy burglar and every regular copper on the street knows that they’re powerless and of as little impact on crime as any normal member of the public.
I think it’s the expectation of many police officers that this early onset of PCSO’s being put into place is the prelude to a two tier police force. Where PCSO’s will take minor crime reports, damage, theft from vehicle etc and todays bobbies will become the fighters of crimes in progress.
While it’s a difficult change to anticipate, I hope this is part of THE PLAN. It sounds like PCs will have work taken from them and we’ll all be less stressed. PCSO’s will be used to their full potential, have long and fulfilling careers in the police force and the streets will be a safer place to be. Brilliant.
I live in optimism that those officers walking our streets are not going to remain the empty gesture that they are now.
February 6, 2007 at 9:19 pm
Frankly, I think that they are the modern requivalent to the old cardboard dummies which were planted at strategic points!!!
Seriously, u r quite right. It is a 2-tiered police force. Somebody recently said that the NHS is in crisis so they are using Nursing Auxiliaries in lieu of nurses; the schools are in crisis, so they are using Teaching Assistants in lieu of teachers; and the Police Service is in crisis, so they are using PCSOs in lieu of coppers.