Guidance

Police community support officer powers

Information on each of the available powers of Police community support officers (PCSOs).

• From: Home Office
• Published: 27 June 2012

Documents

Police community support officer powers (PDF file - 36kb)

PDF, 35.9 KB, 9 pages

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ACPO guidance

PDF, 410 KB, 62 pages

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Details

Police community support officers (PCSOs) are critical to the government’s commitment of sustaining visible and available frontline policing. They are a key component of neighbourhood policing teams and provide a valuable uniformed presence in our communities, with a focus on understanding and identifying local priorities, solving local problems and low-level crime, and engaging with the community. They bring key skills, values and diversity to policing.

PCSOs have 20 standard powers and a range of discretionary additional powers which may be granted by the local chief constable should he/she believe that they are required to respond effectively to local priorities.

From April 2013, funding for the PCSO role will be consolidated into the police main grant. The democratically elected police and crime commissioner, in conjunction with the chief constable, will take decisions on funding and resourcing of neighbourhood policing and PCSOs.

Please see the page on Police community support officers for more information.

Information on each of the available powers is available in the document below.

Published 27 June 2012