Police Community Support Officer
From Free net encyclopedia
A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) is a uniformed civilian working with the police in the United Kingdom. The "Police" prefix is optional, with Community Support Officer (CSO) also being common.
Police Community Support Officers were introduced by the Police Reform Act 2002 in response to long standing concern over the lack of a significant police presence on the streets. Their uniforms are similar to those of the regular police, but have a variety of distinguishing features depending on the area.
Powers
The Chief Constable can decide which of the powers available to PCSOs generally are to be conferred on their force's PCSOs. Because of this, the powers and equipment available to PCSOs on duty varies from force to force and has led to some confusion over the powers PCSOs have been given. [1] [2] A PCSO on duty carries a designation, similar to a warrant card, which lists precisely all the powers they have. Unlike a Police Constable, a PCSO only has powers when on duty and in uniform, and within the region policed by their respective force. This is excepting the power to regulate traffic, which they have throughout England and Wales, but only when on duty and in uniform.
A consultation process in January 2006 announced intentions to expand some of the powers available to PCSOs. [3]
The powers a PCSO can have at present are:
- Issue Fixed Penalty Notices for public nuisance, dog fouling, littering, and cycling on footpaths.
- Request a person's name and address for certain minor offences.
- Detain a person for up to 30 minutes, until the arrival of a Police Constable to arrest the individual, and use reasonable force to prevent them escaping, possibly involving the use of handcuffs. The person may elect to accompany the PCSO to the Police Station instead of waiting.
- Seize alcohol and tobacco from people under the legal age to be consuming those products.
- Request a person to stop drinking alcohol in designated public areas, and seize the containers, whether open or closed.
- Enter property to save life, prevent injury, or prevent serious damage to property.
- Seize vehicles used to cause alarm and distress.
- Remove abandoned vehicles, or require them to be removed.
- Stop vehicles for the purpose of a road check or for exhaust emissions testing.
- Regulate traffic for the purpose of escorting abnormal loads.
- Establish, maintain and enforce a cordoned area established under section 33 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
- Stop and search pedestrians, vehicles and items carried by driver and passengers under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
- Stop and search persons under the respective legal ages for alcohol and tobacco.
- Search any person who they have detained for articles that could be used to escape.
- Seize and retain any prohibited articles ie drugs or weapons they find during the course of any of the above searches.
- They also have full any-person powers of arrest and can arrest anyone without warrant if they know they have committed an indictable offence, as can any other private citizen.