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Police Community Support Officers, or PCSOs as they are more commonly known, came into force in 2007. They are part of a drive towards a more community based style of policing. The standard powers of PCSOs aren't quite as wide and significant as those of a police officer but they are still enough to make a big difference to the community in which they serve. By the end of 2007, there were 16,000 Police Community Support Officers on our streets. The standard powers for PCSOs are all defined and well set out. Their main role is to provide a strong police presence on the streets and to ensure that members of the community feel safe and protected. The police wish to achieve a greater level of integration in our communities. This all helps prevent crime and keep vulnerable residents safe from crime that affects them. Standard powers for PCSOs include the ability to issue a fixed penalty notice for a variety of minor offences. These include littering, cycling on a footpath or for any dog related offence such as allowing it to foul on a footpath. Even though this may not seem like much, it frees up the time of other police officers, and prevents the small crimes that really get on the nerves of local communities. As well as issuing penalty notices, Police Community Support Officers are able to request the name and address of somebody committing many offences, particularly those that could be described as anti social behaviour. Solving anti social behaviour is one of the main responsibilities of the Police Community Support Officers serving in our communities. Their presence is enough to prevent some people attempting such a crime and they have the power to put a stop to any such behaviour very quickly. If not then they also have the connections to make sure the issue is resolved by another proper police officer. Police Community Support Officers are able to seize and confiscate many different items that may be causing a disturbance to a community. This could include alcohol or tobacco if consumed by a minor or in an inappropriate place. This one of the standard powers for PCSOs can even extend to vehicles that are used to cause a disturbance. There are many other standard powers for PCSOs and many traffic implications such as helping to direct traffic. These are generally very useful to the community and the role of a police community support officer makes a community a safer and better place to live, work and play. The standard powers for PCSOs are there to help the community. They make it easier for a community to function and keep crime to a minimum. These tend to be the volume crimes that really can be incredibly irritating and ruin the lives of residents. Police Community Support Officers are part of the community policing future and their powers make this possible. They are here to stay and their work is holding our communities together.
Article Source: http://www.notepad.in
If you would like to find out more about becoming a pcso and the process of pcso recruitment simply click on the following link: police community support officer
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