PCSO hours cut would impact young, says Cllr
A parish council in Telford is concerned about the impact on young people of a proposed cut in the hours of police and community support officers.
Stirchley and Brookside Parish Council is putting its views in writing to respond to a police consultation on the potential money saver.
Councillors heard at a meeting this week that PCSOs could have their hours cut back to go off work at 8pm, instead of 10pm.
The parish clerk said it could have a significant impact on residents, communities and whether officers could come to council meetings.
Councillor Tammy Wood (Stirchley Ward) said it would effectively mean that PCSOs would be off the streets at 7.30pm so they could get back to the station.
She said that this would mean the loss of a reassuring presence in the area.
Young people, she said, had attended a recent meeting and told councillors how “scared” they were.
“Based alone on what our youngsters said to us we should be expressing our concerns at a reduction in a police presence,” she said.
“Those particular hours are generally the hours where instances occur and they did make it very clear to us that it was about presence.
Councillor Sophia Vaughan-Hodkinson (Stirchley Ward) said crimes “shift to the darker times” and is noticeable in the summer.
In a statement after the meeting Grant Wills, Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing, said: “With ongoing financial challenges we are having to consider doing some things differently.
“One proposal suggests that PCSOs end their shifts at 8pm instead of the current 10pm, which would see a reduction in unsocial hours payments and would be a way of contributing to necessary savings without removing posts.
“We have considered the key times when PCSOs can be most effective and visible for our communities and are currently consulting with our PCSOs and seeking their views on this proposal.
“Over the last 12 months we have invested significantly in Neighbourhood Policing with, amongst other things, the introduction of 10 new town centre teams focused on visible policing, tackling crime, and reducing anti-social behaviour.
“It is also important to note that neighbourhood patrols are carried out 24/7/365 by officers, in addition to PCSO patrols.
“We also welcomed the recent opportunity to bid for government funding to increase the number of officers and PCSOs dedicated to neighbourhood policing. If successful, this would be a welcome addition for our force and the communities we serve.”
