More than 1,000 Community Support Officers (CSOs) could be on the streets within months, signalling the end to the police officer-only patrolling of public space protection.
Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke at the Labour Party Conference in Blackpool recently of having 4,000 CSOs by 2005. Some 27 police forces who will be introducing CSOs over the coming months, notably the Metropolitan Police. Their CSOs, in police-style uniforms (pictured in central London) are already in service. The Met and five other forces – West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Devon and Cornwall, Northamptonshire and Gwent – have been selected to pilot detention powers for CSOs, as set out in the Police Reform Act. That Act allows chief police officers to give them what the Home Office calls ?limited? powers to deal with anti-social behaviour and disorder. This includes a power of detention for 30 minutes. Rank and file police have questioned whether the power of arrest should be widened beyond the police … in particular querying what happens when the 30 minutes is up. Mr Blunkett said: ?CSOs will play a complementary role to police officers in tacklingรฟ disorder and anti-social behaviour and carrying out routine patrols to increase visible policing in our communities and provide reassurance to the public.? The CSOs are going to crime hotspots as well as lower-crime areas where the focus will be more on reducing fear of crime. Some 500 Met CSOs will be based in central London and other London boroughs. Lancashire will deploy up to 72 CSOs, Manchester 160, and Devon and Cornwall two teams of ten (in Truro and Honiton).
What CSOs are and aren?t
Home Office Police Minister John Denham has denied that CSOs are policing on the cheap; nor will CSOs replace police officers. Mr Denham said: ?Further funding will be made available to forces over the next three years to ensure CSOs become a firm part of our future policing plans in this country. Under the Police Reform Act we agreed to meet concerns about CSOs having the power of detention by piloting this before making it availableรฟnationally. We feel these powers are essential if CSOs are to be properly equipped to do their job.? CSOs are not the same as Accredited Community Safety Officers – members of what in New Labour speak is ?the extended police family; who are employed by local authorities or the private sector, such as shopping centre security staff. Such accreditation, laid down under the Police Reform Act, is to help with co-ordination of police and ?police family? officers. Also different are Neighbourhood Wardens, employed by local authorities and housing associations to provide a uniformed presence in a residential area with quality of life (litter, graffiti, drug needle removal) aims besides crime reduction. Also, Street Wardens may be employed by local authorities or other organisations (sometimes private) and are a newer variation of warden.
