Police Community Support Officers Really Good Support?

Community Support Officers are not value for money, let me write that again Community Support Officers are not value for money. Agree of Disagree?

They are a visible deterrent when walking the streets however I do not think they prevent crime from happening without the support of proper police officers with their limited powers, people just mock them and quite honestly I do not think they are taken seriously.

They call our local officer “Tim Nice but Dim”. I think that say’s it all right.

They are paid a basic salary of £17k to walk around the village, attend parish council and other neighbourhood meetings and challenge the occasional youth that are causing anti-sociable behaviour and still crimes occur in our communities, they say that one crime is solved in 7 years by a PCSO.

They are never in the police station when you need them, they spread their work over various villages despite being assigned to one village therefore they are never there when you need them. The amount of crimes they solve at least the only reassuring thing is they are not like full police officers who spend their time filling out paperwork!!!

When was the last time your PSCO prevented a crime from happening?

In December 2008 I told our PCSO, two of them to be precise that there was a fight happening on the street, informing me it was under surveillance; I thought with Sinicism if you can see 500 yards through brick buildings then I agree with you otherwise you are allowing a fight to take place and do nothing about it. Perhaps they were too afraid to get involved and protect the public because in the interim before back up comes they may get hurt instead of protecting the public. 

If you are a PCSO come on enlighten me what benefit do our local communities have from having you in their town or village and the impact they have had with you being there. I await your feedback.

There have been many times I have informed our PCSO about crimes, they have done nothing about then and really are no great support to the communities to where we live.