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Community police solve ONE crime each every six years
Last updated at 09:07am on 20.08.07Shocking figures today cast doubts on the effectiveness of police community support officers.
They show that, on average, each one solves a crime every six years.
And they hand out fines for anti- social behaviour, public disorder or motoring offences at a rate of one every four months.
In several areas the teams, dubbed Blunkett's Bobbies after the home secretary who created them, failed to detect a single crime or write a solitary fixed penalty notice over the past year.
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Community Police Officers: they solve just one crime each in six years
By contrast, a fully-sworn police officer detects an average of 11 crimes a year.
The figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, come days after the Daily Mail revealed that two 16-year- old school-leavers had been recruited as PCSOs, earning the label "Babies on the Beat".
Last night leaders of 'proper' police officers condemned the use of PCSOs as a cheap "con trick" to make the public feel safe. Alan Gordon, vice chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: "What these powerful figures show is that they deliver very, very little".
Britain's 14,000 PCSOs, who can earn up to £24,500 a year, have powers to detain suspects until police arrive and to hand out fixed-penalty notices for a range of traffic and public order offences.
But the figures suggest they have very little impact and that many have failed to catch a single crook or punish even one yob, let alone a gang.
In the past year the 2,454 community officers in the 12 police forces surveyed detected just 384 crimes. That means, on average, it takes more than six PCSOs to solve a crime a year.
They were intended to be the "eyes and ears" of their forces, but no offences at all were detected by officers in West Midlands, which has 644 PCSOs, Northumbria (248), Nottinghamshire (217), Staffordshire (203), Dorset (122) or Dyfed Powys (77).
Leicestershire's 216 community support officers detected just six crimes between them; Northamptonshire had 20 detections from 129 officers; the 145 in North Wales solved 82 offences; Humberside's 194 officers notched up 128 offences and Hertfordshire cleared up 133 crimes with a workforce of 223.
Police chiefs and ministers argue that it is not the job of PCSOs to solve crimes - they are supposed to provide a visible presence in the community and help tackle antisocial behaviour.
But their record on handing out fines for just such a purpose is far from encouraging.
In the past year 27,711 fixed penalty notices were dished out by 9,923 community officers in 29 different police forces. That is the equivalent of 2.8 fines a year each. The survey also uncovered huge differences between forces, making it a lottery as to whether offenders are punished or not.
The Metropolitan-Police, who piloted the use of PCSOs, issued just 340 fines for public order offences from their team of 3,694 community officers.
Even this was impressive compared with Staffordshire, Dyfed Powys and Suffolk, whose combined force of 403 did not write a single penalty notice between them.
In other forces, however, the community officers were busy. West Yorkshire's workforce of 690 distributed 7,388 fixed penalty notices; Humberside's tally was 3,874 from 194 officers; North Wales managed 3,132 fines from 145 officers; Gloucestershire 4,738 from 169 and South Wales 2,215 from 314.
The teams in Durham were the most prolific, with 4,541 notices distributed by 142 officers - about 32 each.
The Police Federation's Alan Gordon, said:
"PSCOs have been seen by some as a cheap alternative to police officers, who can make the public feel safe. But these figures show we were right to be concerned about what benefits they are bringing to the table.
"The public say it is nice to see PCSOs in uniform wandering around the street - which is fine until you ask them to do something."
Mr Gordon added: "What is also disturbing is that, as budgets are squeezed, we are going to see numbers of police officers falling as PCSOs increase."
Chief constables are under pressure to employ more of the cheaper community officers rather than full-time sworn officers.
In the past year the number of PCSOs nationwide has risen from 7,000 to 13,748. Figures released recently under the Freedom of Information Act show that eight of the 43 forces in England and Wales expect to recruit more support officers than police by 2008.
The Home Office said last night: "Detecting crime and handing out penalty notices is not the primary function of PCSOs - they are there in a supporting role.
"To attempt to measure their success solely by looking at the number of penalty notices and crimes they detect is to miss the point. Their primary role is to provide high-visibility reassurance, build confidence in communities and support police officers".
Reader views (21)
Why not spend the money used on these plastic police on real coppers? Just a thought...
- Rod , Scunthorpe, UK
If they were issuing lots of tickets, the complaint would be that they are over zealous. The point of PCSOs is to provide a high visibility presence to deter crime, they cost less to employ than police officers because they have a different role, are required to do less and they come under different employment conditions. It's no surprise that they haven't been "solving crimes" - that's the job of the police officers. Whether PCSOs are a good idea - personally I think they should be used to fill the gaps that have been left by the demise of authority figures such as bus conductors and park wardens etc, not as an alternative to regular police officers.
- Huw Morgan, London
They could be replaced with well-crafted scarecrows - even cheaper. I have two experiences to share: the Police once sent an earnest but lamely qualified PSCO to our attempted burglary. She didn't have a trace of a clue about prevention of burglary - special locks, etc. Indeed, she had to be prompted by us out of our pity for her to offer us any useful advice at all. By contrast, at a burglary years ago, the special Police Crime Prevention Officer was brilliant. Our local PSCOs hang about in chatty, amiable clumps always in the main part of the High Street, gabbing with the bored Woolworth and Tesco security guards and they are never ever seen in the side streets where almost all the threatening behaviour and burglary occurs, or anywhere at night. They are often seen around here sitting in their very nice, new car - which is parked all day on a double line - munching sandwiches, chatting among themselves.
- J. Stanley, London
I see these guys and girls around London all the time. They act as a great deterrent to people who would otherwise chance petty crime and deal with the public nuisances such as drunkards, druggies and general nutters. Stations and town centres are definitely safer as a result of their presence and much more effective than CCTV and other supposed high tech solutions.
- Jimbo, London
In rural areas they are an excellent deterrent to crime, but to increase their performance targets they perhaps need to be a little more ominipresent at more obvious criminal activity times and places (eg at pub closing times, patrolling residential streets and parks in the evenings).
This is when they are needed rather than being visible in populated public areas during daytime/worktime hours when crime is less likely.
- William Grierson, Kimpton, UK
PCSO's are nothing other than a 'con trick' dreamed up by Ian Blair and David Blunkett. Chief Constables don't want them, the public don't want them, police officers don't want them, but the Home Office compels forces to recruit them. They are there because they are cheap - end of story! We are already seeing a fall in the number of 'real' police officers and a massive rise in these 'plastic imitations'. In Thames Valley they are now recruited at the age of 16 and elsewhere they are recruiting people who would be unable to pass the entrance exam for the police service. PCSOs add nothing to policing and the sooner that decent politicians acknowledge the fact, the better.
What a disgrace - you couldn't make it up!
- David, Cambridge, UK
So the Home Office thinks PCSOs' primary role is to provide high visibility reassurance, build confidence in communities and support police officers. Exactly how are these to be judged? Most people I know never see a policeman - except in passing as a police car flashes by - and rarely see a PCSO. Confidence is very lacking in the state of policing in general and no one believes the crime statistics. Increasingly one wonders what planet the Home Office inhabits.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
These figures to not surprise me. Last Wednesday I saw a boy in S. London repeatedly kicking his dog. I challenged him but backed off in case he had a knife. Sadly, no police or community support officers around. The same evening I was crossing Leicester Square but was turned away by community police officers, who had blocked it off for a film premier. They were really enjoying themselves, trying to spot celebrities and preventing mere mortals like me from getting to where I wanted to be. I would not begrudge paying taxes for them to do something useful in the community but they don't.
- Pat, London
These plastic coppers are a waste of time. In order to be effective a police force needs to command at least a modicum of respect from the public - people do not see these support officers as legitimate - they are seen as the sort of people who end up as traffic wardens, railway ticket inspectors etc.
I think they would find it very difficult to bring any real presence to the streets, as everyone knows they do not even have the power of arrest, which even an unpaid special constable does. So, it begs the question, what is the point of these people? I can't see one myself.
- Jk, London, UK
No one respects or listens to them. Put more real police on the streets and better arm them to deal with the rise in violence.
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
That's nearly as quick as the real police.
- Keith, Kings Cross
Why should we recruit more police officers? There are more important posts to fill in the Civil Service like Diversity Managers. This government has never treated crime as a priority, hence the growing problem of violent crime. For this reason alone, I urge the people of Britain to vote Labour out come the next general election.
- Simon C, London, UK
Would it not be cheaper to just hire out of work lovies to provide "high visibility reasurance"? And they could do more, "acting" like they were the real police as well, conning the public even more!
- Giles, London
I think many PSCOs would like to solve crimes. It appears their hands are rather tied as to their powers. Add 'human rights' and 'political correctness' and it seems they are on a hiding to nothing.
- Michael, London, EC4
The whole idea of PCSOs is a total nonsence. It's another example of how stupidly soft this country is in dealing with criminals. We need real policeman backed up by tough punishments like the kind thats handed out in Singapore, which is a much safer and cleaner country than ours due to their tough approach.
- Vivek, London
But, you never, ever, see them patrolling after the sun has gone down!
- Steve R, London, UK
That makes me feel a lot safer.
- Pat, Sussex
"Community police solve ONE crime each every six years" Compared to what exactly? How many police solve how many crimes per year? I can't actually remember the last time I actually saw a policeman, only PCSO's.
- Terry Roll, London
My view of PCSO is they're effective at moving on a small group of kids who may have congregated outside a takeaway, but useless when it comes to dealing with real issues. I've seen them crossing the road or turning back when faced with a gang of unruly kids, or strangely disappearing from sight when a fight kicks off outside a pub.
- Scott, Loughton, Essex
Yeah, but at least you see them on the street, which is more than you can say for the 'proper' police.
- Jill, London
Reduce the number of civil servants and recruit more real policemen.
- Haskey101, London
