Police clamping down on illegal parking outside Dussindale Primary School. PCSO Gary Philo keeping his eye out for illegal parkers.
PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY
Norfolk Police Authority urged to raise council tax precept to maintain PCSO numbers in county
By PETER WALSH
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
6:53 AM
Members of the police authority have been urged to raise the council tax precept rather than accept a one-off payment from the government to allow Norfolk’s ever-decreasing thin blue line to be maintained.
Norfolk Police Authority, which is due to be replaced by a controversial Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in November, will meet later this month to set a budget for 2012/13 which will be inherited by the incoming PCC.
Ahead of the meeting, on February 21, members of the authority face a dilemma of whether to raise the precept or accept a one-off grant from the government, equating to the money it would make from a 3pc rise in council tax, if it freezes its share at last year’s level.
Government cuts mean Norfolk Constabulary must make about £24.5m of savings over the next three years, a process that will see a total reduction of 120 officers and the potential loss of up to 45 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).
Simon Bailey, deputy chief constable, said raising the precept would help ensure the level of PCSOs, whose numbers have been reduced from 280 to 260, could be maintained.
He said: “We’ve been offered a grant by the Home Office but the problem is it’s one-off, whereas the precept rise goes into our budget year on year which means we’re able to recruit numbers based on it whereas a one-off we can’t.
“We’ve made representations to the police authority to raise the level of precept to allow us to maintain our PCSO numbers who are so critical to the work that we’re achieving in community engagement, tackling anti-social behaviour and the Safer Schools Partnership.”
Mr Bailey was talking after a meeting of the police authority’s professional standards and human resources committee, which revealed an intake of 10 PCSOs had been scheduled for March this year.
Yesterday’s meeting, held at Norfolk Police Authority’s meeting room at Wymondham, also heard there would be an intake of 48 police officers in the next financial year to maintain the 1,530 officers the force is being reduced to.
The Safer Schools Partnership scheme has seen full time officers and PCSOs placed in more than 20 schools across Norfolk where they use problem-solving approaches to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Stephen Bett, police authority chairman, said: “We’ve had representations from the chief constable about what he would like us to do and we will make the decision on February 21.”
peter.walsh@archant.co.uk
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19 comments
cat66, your argument is full of holes. This country survived for donkey years without the presence of plastic plod, they was introduced as a gimmick when the nuLabour was spending money like crazy, whilst trying to boost police numbers on the cheap....In times of austerity. non-producing jobs like the plastic plod are unaffordable and should be made redundant. Those who could be trained up to become proper policeman, should be able to apply for any vacancies, if they reach the usual standard of recruitment.....simples, even for plastic plods.
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nrg
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Yes lets remove all PCSO's, lets half the amount of eyes we have on the street. Yes they don't have the power of a PC but each and everyone has a radio, so sack all PCSO's get less than half the amount of police walking the beat. Let crime go up, give less time to PC's to do police work on the street and in the police station,being now they have to replace those feet on the street. Which will have a domino effect all the way to the courts, being PC's have less time to make sure that every arrest is iron clad. That's a great idea.
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cat66
Friday, February 10, 2012
Yes lets remove all PCSO's, lets half the amount of eyes we have on the street. Yes they don't have the power of a PC but each and everyone has a radio, so sack all PCSO's get less than half the amount of police walking the beat. Let crime go up, give less time to PC's to do police work on the street and in the police station,being now they have to replace those feet on the street. Which will have a domino effect all the way to the courts, being PC's have less time to make sure that every arrest is iron clad. That's a great idea.
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cat66
Friday, February 10, 2012
Over 300,000 pounds was spent last year on sick pay for these plastic shirkers...nuff said...info from plod FOI pdf file, 5 were sacked for neglecting duties,assault,sexual harassment,theft...and they put these type of people in schools...very worrying for Norfolk.....not forgetting they'd yet to solve any crimes woth a note.
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nrg
Thursday, February 9, 2012
......Norfolk Police Authority urged to raise council tax precept to maintain PCSO numbers in county........Why, have the PCSOs suddenly become 3.5% more expensive to run?
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popeye
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Bunny78 and exactly how do you measure the impact one of the partnership members makes on the overall team. Do you have Data to back up your statement. Otherwise it just sounds like self praise ?
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Farquarson-Smythe
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Bunny78 exactly how does that work then? What skills do PCSOs bring to the table that a qualified teacher cannot, other than the knowledge and threat that they are representatives of law and order? If you paid someone else £18K a year at your inclusion unit you would probably get the same results. And if you really do that job, you should not be contributing on the subject on a public comments board.
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Daisy Roots
Thursday, February 9, 2012
I currently work and run an Inclusion unit at a school in Norwich, i work with the Hellesdon & Horsford neighbourhood Policing Team, we work together as a gr8 team, therefore preventing alot of students from getting permanently excluded from school and to be better citizen
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bunny78
Thursday, February 9, 2012
If they want more pay, Bring back Real policing, what we have now is pants. not local don't know where they are going and that's if your lucky enough to have one sent out.
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dbav
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
If they want more pay, Bring back Real policing, what we have now is pants. not local don't know where they are going and that's if your lucky enough to have one sent out.
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dbav
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
last summer one of them took my bus stop sign off the railings of St.Peter Mancroft chruch which i had permission from the vicar and told me I was not allowed to stop there, it was nothing to do with the police, Norfolk CC control buses.and my route is approved by Vosa, Norfolk CC & Norwich City. A month or so later I was asked by police to come and collect it, they didn't have the decency to put it back on the railings Ask Police via freedom of information act how much was spent on PCSOs? I did and it was about £8 million including uniforms , equipment , wages, holiday, sick pay etc.,Money that could be better spent on Real police.
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gismo1572
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
PCSOs are a waste of money, blue bands or not proper coppers are powerless, I can make a citizens arrest they cant. PCSOs do not have traffic powers cannot arrest anyone, the only good that comes out of them is that any good ones do become real policemen
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gismo1572
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Community Support Officers Do NOT do the job of a Police Officer. All the admin tasks that they undertake were introduced with their job description as Non-Police Officer Tasks. Time to clear them out and invest the money in Police Officers who have a full range of powers to serve the community and provide real policing, and not some back office administrative tasks to appease the home office figures. Police Forces managed OK before their introduction, so why burden the tax payer to pay for Non-essential admin?
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Farquarson-Smythe
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
When it comes to them getting a bit of the action (ctax) they allways want more more more. They did before the tax freeze and now they have started again, just watch what % they go for. By the way, has anyone seen a real PC on the beat ?
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Rorping
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Have to agree with DaveG. Never seen a PCSO doing anything worthwhile and usually see them walking in pairs where nothing is likely to happen . What I find deeply concerning is that thse people who are recruited with no minimum academic standards ( look at the web site) apart from being able to use MSoft Office are then sent into schools and act as liaison ( or sticky beaks) with children. Usually anyone who has anything to do with kids has to have childcare qualifications or a degree and PGCE. I would not want one of these amateurs anywhere near my kids. The money would be far better spent on more "real " policemen or effective exclusion units for schools.
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Daisy Roots
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Reduce the number of ACPO ranks and employ sworn, warranted officers who are able to go hunting and nick villains, NOT meeting facilitators or experts in partnerships.
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kiwidog
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
More money for persecuting motorists and them just sitting in their cars then ?
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"V"
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
What is wanted is more Police officers on the frontline that command respect, not these Plastic Policemen
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turnover
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Money would be better spent on keeping some of the fully qualified policemen employed, especially the front line ARV teams, Dog handling and Diving teams
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DaveG
Wednesday, February 8, 2012