PCSOs 'not helping to cut crime'

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The report, by Kent Police Authority, said PCSOs spend too much time filling out paper work in the office, rather than fulfilling their main function in the community.

It found that there is "widespread confusion" about the role of PCSOs in Kent. Where there is an awareness, around half of those questioned felt their powers were insufficient.

It said: "Other than for vehicle crime, there appears to be little relationship between the presence of a PCSO and a reduction in crime."

Of those questioned, "only about six in 10 felt that PCSOs represented good value for money. Reasons for this included lack of powers, high staff turnover and restricted deployment hours."

The report also said that PCSOs, "do not appear to be the best option currently for reducing negative perceptions of antisocial behaviour."

However, the report did find that the presence of PCSOs can have a positive impact on the community they patrol in, providing that they make efforts to interact with members of the public.

Ann Barnes, chair of the Kent Police Authority, said that the report was the worst since PCSOs were introduced under the 2002 Police Reform Act.

PCSOs have come under a raft of criticism since they were introduced in 2002 by the then Home Secretary David Blunkett. Their lack of powers led many to dismiss them as a gimmick and they have been branded with nicknames such as "Blunkett's bouncers" and "Plastic Plods."

In May last year two PCSOs came under fire after stood by while a 10-year-old boy drowned in a pond in Wigan.