Another Home Office story…
Where I live in Central London during the week – Pimlico – is a pretty quiet area. More recently, I have been surprised to see two police officers together patrolling from time to time. It is reassuring. They talk to people. Most usual contact with the police is having to get out of the way of a police car at high speed with flashing blue lights.
Nothing is more irritating than continuous minor crime – like scratching a car or deflating a tyre. That is what Police Community Support Officers help to prevent, and have the power to issue fixed penalty notices. However, what I discovered at the weekend is that the planned increase in PCSOs has had to be scaled back because the money is being directed to the prisons crisis.
The Home Office – not fit for purpose? I couldn’t agree more.