Letter: The Loss of 22 PCSOs Sums Up the Conservative Approach

Published on: 19 Apr, 2022
Updated on: 19 Apr, 2022

From Brian Creese

chair of Guildford Labour

In response to: Surrey Police Cuts Back on PCSOs as PCC Increases Her Staff Budget by 30%

Nothing sums up the current Conservative approach better than this extraordinary tale “Surrey’s police and crime commissioner is hiring a new communications officer at the same time as the cash-strapped Surrey Police is losing 22 PCSOs“.

It is all about the publicity and nothing about the service. We all know that people actually want to see more police officers on the street, so the whole idea that we should reduce police numbers to fund this self-serving, self-promotion is staggering.

If we can keep 22 PCSOs by not employing the extra staff why not go the whole hog and recruit yet more PCSOs by removing the PCC post entirely?

I stand to be corrected, but so far I have seen nothing to suggest this post adds any value to policing in our communities.

Responses to Letter: The Loss of 22 PCSOs Sums Up the Conservative Approach

Kevin Smith Reply

April 19, 2022 at 9:19 pm

The decision to create Police and Crime Commissioners was stupid, there is no other word for it.

Brian Creese, once again, is spot on.
Frank Emery Reply

April 20, 2022 at 8:45 am

Although not a Labour supporter by any stretch of the imagination, I totally agree with Brian Creese’s comment.
Dave Middleton Reply

April 20, 2022 at 11:19 am

Every time the population is asked, they say that they want to see more uniformed police officers, on foot patrol, on the streets.

I do not believe anyone has ever asked for an extra administrator for the PCC’s office. To me, this seems a classic example of “empire building” by the PCC.
Dave Fielding Reply

April 27, 2022 at 8:12 am

I too was surprised by this decision, in fact when I first read about it I thought it was a smear from another political party.

How can any sane PCC defend the appointment of a PR person, while shedding PCSOs? You really can’t make this stuff up.
Ramsey Nagaty Reply

April 30, 2022 at 11:15 am

So the Police Commissioner has an issue and the preferred solution is not to learn from it but to appoint a PR person.

I agree that spending public money on such an appointment when we should be recruiting more police (not losing police officers) is crazy.

There was a time when the police reported to local parish councils. That appears a thing of the past.

Ramsay Nagaty is the leader of the Guildford Greenbelt Group at GBC.