Eight new community support officers

Eight new Police Community Support Officers will start work in Warwickshire on Monday 9 May 2005, bringing the total number of PCSO's in the county to 62.

Dave Shirley, PCSO Manager said

"The eight new PCSOs have been taken on as a result of our successful bid to the Home Office in autumn last year.

"This is great news for Warwickshire and from Monday we will have new PCSO's in Southam, Alcester, Leamington and Kenilworth in the South of the county. In the North, we will have new PCSO's in Atherstone, Coleshill and two in Nuneaton."

Dave added

"The role of a PCSO is quite diverse and is a tremendously interesting job as you never know what you will deal with next.

"As well as deterring potential crime by offering a greater visible police presence, PCSO's get involved in resolving matters that are causing concern to the local community. These can include dealing with issues such as graffiti, abandoned vehicles, and anti social behaviour, and nuisance youths to name but a few.

"PCSO's in Warwickshire also monitor Anti Social Behaviour (ASBO) and Agreed Behaviour Contracts (ABC) to ensure they are complied with."

Carl Boulter will be stationed at Coleshill from Monday. He said

"I worked for 18 years as a traffic warden with West Midlands and more recently as a traffic officer with the Highways Agency, but missed being out and about. I wanted to work helping people in the community, getting involved resolving local problems and being a PCSO I hope to be able to achieve that."

Joanne Graham, a mother of two, will be stationed in Leamington. She said "I can relate to people having problems with children as I am a mother. I'm looking forward to getting to know the young people and building rapport. I'm looking forward to giving talks in local schools to help educate the children. I also want to help create a safer environment for all children including my own to grow up in. "

Although the main role of a PCSO is to act as the eyes and ears of the police, the actions or observations of PCSOs can lead to an arrest or other action. For example spotting a burglar leaving premises, identifying bogus officials, or discovering stolen material whilst on foot patrol. PCSOs have also helped to identify wanted persons and vehicles used in crimes.

PCSOs often get involved in long-term projects including youth group projects, proposals for new skate boarding areas, lighting for recreational areas, shelters for park areas all of which take time and patience to achieve a conclusion.

Warwickshire now has PCSOs making a positive contribution to the local communities of Coleshill, Atherstone, Bedworth, Nuneaton, Rugby, Corley Services, Kenilworth, Leamington, Warwick, Southam, Stratford and Alcester.

Warwickshire Police was one of the pioneer forces to take on PCSO's in December 2002 and was the second force in the country to have PCSOs patrolling the streets.

Dave Shirley said "At the moment, no more intakes are planned or funded for 2005 but we will be filling any vacancies that arise over the coming months."

If you are interested in becoming a PCSO with a starting salary of around £16k, please request a recruitment pack by dialling 01926 415000 and asking for extension 2228. More information can also be found under the careers part of this website.

Photo details
Back row, left to right: Matthew Steele (Atherstone), Carl Boulter (Coleshill), Sebastian Apostol (Nuneaton), Robert Williams (Nuneaton)
Front row, left to right: Anita Reading (Southam), Anita McKinley (Alcester), Katie Fletcher (Warwick), Joanne Graham (Leamington)