Successful bid for community support officers

A successful bid to the Home Office by Warwickshire Police means that the force will be employing 16 more Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to carry out high profile patrol and community policing duties across the county. This will bring the total number of PCSOs in Warwickshire to 61.

Speaking about the successful bid, Ch Supt David Whitehouse, who has led the introduction of Community Support Officers in Warwickshire, said:

"In the two years since our first PCSOs started patrolling in Warwickshire, we have been overwhelmed by the positive response they have had from local people, who have appreciated the different skills and priorities they bring to the range of policing services we offer.

"PCSOs have a very specific remit which is around working with local communities to resolve problems and there have been some very significant successes."

For example, in Rugby, PCSO Sally Wolanski has been working with elderly and vulnerable residents on a Bogus Caller Initiative. Sally said

"We are educating the elderly and providing them with a poster to display in their windows advising callers to go to a designated neighbour so they do not find themselves in a vulnerable position with unwanted callers.

"Many people in Rugby already help and watch out for their elderly neighbours and we're encouraging others to follow suit by becoming the contact point for vulnerable neighbours."

PCSO Paul Gunnell has been deployed in Studley to help with nuisance youths and antisocial behaviour problems in the area. His high visibility foot patrol in the area will allow him to closely monitor the youths in question. He will also be making himself known to the local community and discussing any issues they may have.

In Nuneaton, PCSO Steph Norman has taken helping the community to a new level by using her holiday to climb to Everest base camp to raise money for a local charity she became aware of during her duties.

Warwickshire was one of the first forces to recruit PCSOs and currently has 45 in post who are making a positive contribution by getting actively involved in resolving matters that are causing concern to the local community, including issues such as graffiti, abandoned vehicles, anti-social behaviour, and nuisance youths. They also play a major role in monitoring compliance with antisocial behaviour orders, and are key members of the new Neighbourhood Crime Fighting Teams.

With the funding now in place, the force will soon be starting the recruitment process for new PCSO's to join a training course in early 2005.

David Shirley, Community Support Officer Coordinator explained what the force would be looking for in its new recruits.

"This is a challenging but highly rewarding role, and we are looking for people who are committed to working with their colleagues, other agencies and the community itself to find solutions to problems of crime and disorder."

If you are interested in supporting your community by becoming a PCSO please contact the recruitment team on 01926 415000 ext 2228 for a recruitment pack click here The starting salary for PCSOs is approximately £16k.