Police community support officer

Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) are uniformed personnel working with the police in England and Wales. The "Police" prefix is optional, with Community Support Officer (CSO) also being common.

This role is not to be confused with the Scottish PCSO role which stands for police custody and security officer.

Police Community Support Officers were introduced by the Police Reform Act 2002.^[1]

Uniform

File:UKPCSO.jpg

PCSO epaulette

Their uniforms are similar to those of the regular police, but have a variety of distinguishing features depending on the area. The differences range from:

Stab vest

Are usually issued to officers, but wearing when on duty is often left to the discretion of the officer. Vests are also usually identical to UK police constables, but often with different labelling and colouring. Three forces in the UK currently don't issue stab vests to their PCSOs, namely the West Midlands Police, Staffordshire Police and Surrey Police.

Headgear

The hat may or may not display the force crest, some just have a shield, usually blue, stating "Police Community Support Officer".
The band on the hat may also be different with some sporting a reflective band, some having a plain blue band and some having a blue/black and white chequered band.

Hi-visibility clothing

This is mandatory for traffic direction. This tends to either be a jacket or a cover for the body armour.

Shirts

These may be blue, white or grey.

Epaulettes

Most forces tend to use blue epaulettes, with the words "Police Community Support Officer" followed by their shoulder number. Some forces use black epaulettes, like those of a warranted police officer.

Powers

All PCSOs' powers stem from the Police Reform Act 2002 (as amended), describing a large set of powers that PCSOs can have. The Chief Constable of each service throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or Commissioner in London) can decide which of the powers available in law their PCSOs are to be designated with. Each service will have policies about how PCSOs should act and what powers they should use how, where and when. PCSOs do not have a duty to act, unlike police constables; it is up to their discretion whether they should exercise a power in each situation. Each PCSO is assigned their powers and must carry a card which lists precisely all the powers they have. Unlike a police constable, a PCSO only has powers when on duty and in uniform, and within the region policed by their respective force.

A consultation process in January 2006 announced intentions to expand some of the powers available to PCSOs.^[2]

The powers that a PCSO can be assigned at present are:

Detain a person for up to 30 minutes to establish their identity if they have committed a relevant offence. This may be until the arrival of a Police Constable otherwise the person may elect to accompany the PCSO to a police station instead of waiting.
Issue Fixed Penalty Notices for various traffic offences, dog fouling, littering, and cycling on footpaths.
Issue penalty notices for disorder for various offences including public order, criminal damage and theft.
Deal with begging by demanding that it stop.
Seize alcohol from people under 18.
Seize tobacco from people under 16.
Request a person to stop drinking alcohol in designated public areas, and seize the containers, whether open or closed or any container that the PCSO believes may be used for the consumption of alcohol.
Enter property to save life, prevent injury, or prevent serious damage to property.
Seize vehicles used to cause alarm and distress.
Remove abandoned vehicles, or require them to be removed.
Stop vehicles for the purpose of a road check or for exhaust emissions testing.
Regulate traffic for the purpose of escorting abnormal loads.
Establish, maintain and enforce a cordoned area established under section 33 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
When accompanied by a constable, to stop and search vehicles and items carried by driver and passengers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
When accompanied by a constable, to stop and search items carried a pedestrian under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Search any person who they have detained for articles that could be used to escape or for objects that may be used to harm the person or the PCSO.
Seize and retain any prohibited articles such as drugs or weapons they find during the course of any of the above searches.

As with any person, they also have common-law powers of arrest and can arrest anyone without warrant if they know or believe they have committed an indictable offence. Individual force guidelines, however, may instruct them not to use this power.

Equipment

PCSOs are not normally issued with any PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as batons or CS. Stab resistant vests are issued but the compulsory nature of wearing on duty is left to each respective force. The British Transport Police PCSOs as well as those in North Wales (and others) are given handcuffs. PCSOs carry a torch and a limited first aid kit containing rubber gloves, a bag to put bloodied clothing in, a mask to allow them to give mouth to mouth without contact and alcohol wipes. PCSOs also carry a radio identical to the police, which they use to communicate with other PCSOs, police officers and the control room on the same channel. Some neighbourhood police teams also monitor local shop/pub watch radios.

Vehicles

Some forces allow their PCSOs, in particular traffic officers, to drive marked police vehicles but most do not. Generally, PCSOs may only use blue lights when stationary to indicate a hazard or an Incident Rendezvous Point.

Young PCSOs

It has recently been revealed that several forces have recruited PCSOs under the usual recruitment age of 18. The criterion seems to be that such recruits must be at least 16 and their appointment must be authorised by the Chief Constable of the force being applied to.^[3] One such officer of the Thames Valley Police Force, 17-year-old PCSO Nadia Naeem made news.^[4] The decision to appoint her and other 16- and 17-year-olds has been the subject of much debate. On 26 November 2007 Home Secretary Jacqui Smith made the decision that from December 2007, all PCSOs must be 18 before they can be appointed. PCSOs under 18 years who were already appointed, or had applied prior to this ruling are to be allowed to hold their positions.^[5] A few police forces are accepting applications from candidates below 18 years due to the lengthy recruitment process. Candidates will therefore be able to begin training upon reaching the required age.

Incidents

On 31 January 2006 45-year-old PCSO Adrian Martin of the Metropolitan Police collapsed and died of heart failure when cycling on a road exercise while undertaking a police cycle training course at Hendon. He was the first PCSO to die on duty.^[6]

On December 4 2006, PCSO Gary Etchells was stabbed in the neck whilst assisting a local housing trust to carry out an eviction in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester. He has since made a full recovery and is back to work. A 63-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder in connection with this case. Etchells is believed to be the first PCSO to be seriously injured whilst on duty. ^[7]

Although full details of this incident have never been released, it has been suggested that Etchells was acting "outside of his duty" as PCSOs are not expected, nor are they informed that they will be issued a response officer due to the potential conflict situations they are faced with. Forces recommend that PCSOs hold back, gather information and await an armed police response in these situations.

On 3 May 2007 two Greater Manchester Police PCSOs, had been called to a lake where 10 year old Jordon Lyon had disappeared under the water after his sister had fallen in. They did not attempt an underwater rescue because "they were not trained" to do so. Neither PCSOs nor warranted police officers receive any water rescue training; in fact there has been no requirement for police officers in England and Wales to pass a swimming/life saving test during training for many years. On 20 September the Greater Manchester Police defended their actions.^[8]

On July 3 2007, a Metropolitan Police PCSO was slashed whilst driving a marked police van in Victoria, London. A man was chased and arrested for the offence. The PCSO was later released from hospital; his injuries had been minor.^[9]

On 10 September 2007 20-year-old PCSO Christopher Donald Maclure of the Greater Manchester Police was killed in a road traffic accident while on bicycle patrol. He sustained fatal head injuries in a collision with a lorry at a road junction in Hindley Green. The lorry driver who hit him had to be treated for shock.^[10] As a result of this incident Greater Manchester Police suspended PCSOs from using bicycles. This was later rescinded.^[11]