PCSOs value for money you decide

[charlie finbow]

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=154811473

Intersting wonder what the Wilts figures are perhaps our councillors will raise the question and be prepared for the PR rubish that comes with the answer.

[cuthbert-murray]

As you know Charlie I am always there asking these questions  and only last month I pinned the police down to answer some very awkard questions , usual rubbish came out so I carried on and on till I had finished they answered I CAME back and back !

no they are not value for money a complete waste of money , what people want to see is proper coppers walking the beat reducing crime disorder and fear in our towns full stop , not some plastic bobby driving through holding kids disco's and giving out free shopping vouchers to the ones that turn up , and the last one I was present at 5 teen agers where there and thats it , good night for them they I would imagine came away with quite an array of free gifts.

[sclarkson]

Playing Devils Advocate, we don't know how many crimes they deterred? or the reassurance they provided?.

Impossible to quantify.

I see them on the beat more than real cops, perhaps the information gained over time is used to make arrests by PC's or CID we will never know.

This article comes at it from a very one sided angle and I would agree with the comment.

"Therefore to judge their value in relation to the cost per crime detected or fixed penalty notice issued is not appropriate."

[Clevercat]

I want to bring back the Police of old, where they clipped you round the ear when it was needed.

*thats a clip round the ear, not dragging a small female round a floor 

[cuthbert-murray]

well said clevercat 

[sclarkson]

I know what you mean Clevercat but I would imagine pre CCTV that there were many unrecorded incidents of throwing people into cells.

Just you would never had heard about them.

How would you determine an acceptable reason for clipping a child round the ear?

How would that law not be used unintentionally to bully suspects?.

How hard would be too hard etc etc.

Tough one, I am not claiming to have the answers.

PCSO's do a lot of the unskilled work PC's used to do, like stranger danger talks, drink drive chats to sixth formers etc. If they were dropped then instead of a 23k a year PCSO doing that work a full PC on about 32k a year would have to do it instead.

I always thought PCSO's were a way of filtering out unskilled duties onto cheaper staff. Like a cost saving measure.

I am not saying all is right with PCSO's just giving a few of the opposing arguments.