Union: Cutting PCSO hours will be “green light” for criminals

The Advertiser revealed last week how South Yorkshire Police proposed to restrict PCSOs to nine-to-five shift pattern in a move neighbourhood watch members said would severely restrict their impact on crime and anti-social behaviour.

Following last week’s story, we asked in an online poll if PCSOs did an important job, with 85 per cent of readers saying they did.

Trade union Unite this week spoke out about the plans, saying visible police presence could “disappear” and PCSOs hit by a pay cut could decide to look for a different job.

Branch secretary Andrew Whysall said:  “These changes will effectively slash visible policing in areas which have already been severely hit due to government cuts.

“By reducing PCSOs to office hours Monday to Friday, South Yorkshire police are effectively giving a green light to criminals to break the law and commit anti-social behaviour outside these hours.

“These proposed cuts will cause huge financial misery to our members and will force many to vote with their feet and leave their jobs, further damaging policing in South Yorkshire.

“The senior command team in South Yorkshire need to understand the key role that PCSOs play and preserve their roles for the good of local communities.”

Last week, assistant chief constable David Hartley said the review currently being consulted on aimed to ensure the police made the best use of their resources and insisted if any PCSOs positions were lost — through resignations and retirements, rather than redundancies — they would be replaced by police officers.

Unite said cutting PCSOs’ patrolling hours would not only give “carte blanche to criminals” outside office hours but also see them losing an average of £450 a month.

A spokesman said the impact would be “so severe existing officers will be forced to seek alternative employment, which will further damage community cohesion”.

Our online story prompted a wave of comments praising PCSOs and saying they would be missed if their hours were cut.

One reader said: “They do a fantastic job, keeping a presence, making communities safe and residents’ peace of mind. They are important and needed on our streets.”

Another said: “They do an amazing job dealing with anti-social behaviour and low level crime. They are visible to the public whilst officers are tied up with prisoners and paperwork.”

Mr Hartley denied the review was aimed at cost-cutting but said it was to “build a service that is modern, fit for purpose and based upon clear roles and responsibilities”.

He said a final a decision would be made “in the coming weeks” on PCSOs’ future role.