Southwark police missing 22% of local community support officers with a quarter missing across London

Tweet

Southwark Safer Neighbourhood Police  teams (SNT) are missing 22% of their Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) while across London local Safer Neighbourhood Teams are  missing more than a quarter of their PCSOs. 

Safer Neighbourhood Teams, which were brought in to act as dedicated local policing units, have already been cut down from the original ‘1+2+3 structure’ with one sergeant, two constables and three PCSOs in each team. In Southwark a number of ward Safer Neighbourhood Teams are now sharing a sergeant. 

In Southwark there are 13 fewer PCSOs than planned, across London SNTs are trying to operate with 567 fewer PCSOs than planned. 

Local Labour London Assembly Member Val Shawcross said: “Southwark police do a fantastic job, but we are starting to see them suffer the effects of budget cuts. 

“Our SNT’s are operating at 22% below target with 13 PCSOs less than they should have.  PCSO’s provide crucial support roles in the teams particularly with supporting crime victims.  I am concerned that this may be affecting their ability to work as effectively as they would like on the front line of policing services in the borough.” 

Ends.

Note: 

The ward teams now sharing a sergeant in Southwark are: East Dulwich & Village, South Camberwell & Brunswick Park, Nunhead & Peckham Rye, Surrey Docks & Rotherhithe and Faraday & Newington.