Is this policing on the cheap?

Yes ...says Mark Botham, joint branch board chairman, Police Federation for York and North Yorkshire.

FOCUS groups held recently by the police federation has with police officers throughout England and Wales indicate that police community support officers (PCSOs) are being used increasingly in confrontational roles without the proper skills and training needed.

This puts the public, police officers and the PCSOs themselves at risk. This must be stopped until a thorough analysis and assessment of their role and function has been undertaken.

Within North Yorkshire we support the aims of the Chief Constable and the Police Authority. Both locally and nationally the Police Federation fully supports the Government's attempts to strengthen community engagement in policing, but we are vehemently opposed to that being solely led by PCSOs.

Direct contact between the police and the public is at the heart of policing by consent. If the only time people see a constable is when they are making an arrest, the public co-operation will break down and we will be reduced to policing by coercion.

We believe this is not a direction that should be taken either in North Yorkshire or the country in general.

With the recent announcement of a 400 per cent increase in PCSO numbers before any national evaluation has taken place, we face ongoing confusion and uncertainty as to the role and future funding of both PCSOs and police officers.

There is total confusion among police officers and the public as to the precise role, skills and powers of PCSOs.

If they become financed from the same budget as police officers, then a clear and indisputable trade-off will exist. And if chief constables are given greater flexibility, we may well see police staff numbers grow at the expense of police officer numbers.

PCSOs should not be judged purely upon the visible presence they provide. It has not been proven that PCSOs have a tangible impact on crime.

The federation believes it would be imprudent to increase PCSO numbers until robust analysis of their performance and cost-effectiveness has taken place.

It is essential that the Government establishes a clear and unambiguous definition of the demarcation of powers between police and non-police personnel and how PCSOs will be financed in the future.

It is not only PCSOs that are a cause of concern. Neighbourhood wardens are fast becoming an established part of many local authority areas - including York and North Yorkshire - backed largely by millions of pounds worth of Government funding to provide a full-time uniformed presence on the streets and in public places.

The Police Federation believes neighbourhood and street wardens can make a valuable contribution to society, but only where their responsibilities are clearly defined.

In partnership, they have a valuable part to play - in a "super-caretaker" role - engaging with the community, dealing with vandalism, graffiti, abandoned cars and environmental issues which affect people's quality of life.

But wardens are not professional police officers and should not be asked to perform functions which are beyond their capabilities and training or which might put them in danger.

As for the use of private security firms, the federation believes the Government's experimental plans to employ "police approved" private security staff to patrol public areas are neither the answer to increasing visibility nor a way to improve public reassurance.

We remain firmly opposed to this proposal because it would blur the crucial distinction between the police as the statutory law enforcers and the private security industry.

The Police Federation has always opposed the creation of an ill-equipped and ill-trained second layer of law enforcers under public or private sector control. They cause confusion as to who has what power, in what circumstances, and for how long. Such a change also raises questions of accountability.

The British police service has been held in high regard throughout the world for years, it seems a travesty, therefore, to dilute it with a second or third tier of less trained, less equipped, less accountable law enforcers.

No ...says Sergeant Rick Ball, York community policing team, North Yorkshire Police.

POLICE Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are a relatively new uniformed presence pounding the streets of North Yorkshire and they play a vital role as the "eyes and ears" of the force.

They may not have powers of arrest, but they do perform a high-visibility patrolling role providing reassurance to the communities they serve.

The dedicated men and women of all ages who have joined the force complement the work of police officers by focusing predominantly on lower level crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour.

They are an important weapon in the force's drive to crack down on the types of antisocial behaviour and nuisance which blight so many of our communities and make people's lives a misery.

PCSOs also have a key role to play in freeing up police officer time by doing some of those functions which need a police presence, but do not necessarily require the full skills and expertise of an officer.

For example, they can enforce a cordon around a crime scene or help with administration at a road block. They are also able to issue fixed penalty notices and they have the power to request the identity of someone acting antisocially.

On the streets of York, they are distinguished by their cap with a blue band and silver police badge, white shirt and black tie. Their epaulettes are marked with the words "Community Support Officer" and they carry a police radio.

As a sergeant at the York community policing team who has been heavily involved in tasking and integrating PCSOs, I know what an important job they play and how well they have been accepted by the public.

PCSOs don't just patrol our communities, their roles are carefully inter-linked with day-to-day police tasking, from keeping an eye on antisocial behaviour hotspots to creating a high-visibility presence at places such as car parks and shopping precincts.

In the past few months PCSOs have been involved in:

The successful crack down on beggars in York city centre. Police officers joined forces with inspectors form the Department of Social Security to target those asking for money in the city. PCSOs collected information on popular begging haunts and problem individuals. A number of antisocial behaviour warning notices were handed out to offenders.

In one incident, members of the public reported a suspicious character hanging around in Rowntree Park, near the River Ouse. PCSOs were tasked to patrol the area and eventually traced the individual. When he was later arrested, it was found that he was a registered sex offender who had moved into the area without informing the police.

They played a crucial role in the "booze busters" street drinking teams who have confronted youths drinking alcohol and confiscated their drinks. Often community ward managers collect information about nuisance activities and it is down to PCSOs to get out there in the evenings, or whenever the problem is taking place, and deal with it.

Although PCSOs do not have powers of arrest, six police forces, including West Yorkshire and Lancashire, are piloting detention powers for PCSOs and their success will be reviewed in December. Having considered the report, Government ministers will decide whether to extend these powers across England and Wales.

But by not giving them power of arrest, their primary role remains reassuring the community and watching over the public.

PCSOs support the police and when attending an incident they make a risk assessment and consider their options to observe, confront or seek assistance. There is never any expectation to intervene in high risk situations.

As you can see, PCSOs are heavily involved in virtually all aspects of policing and they play a proud role in making our communities a safer place while improving the quality of life for all residents.

Updated: 10:33 Tuesday, September 14, 2004