Neighbourhood policing '˜under threat' - Labour

LABOUR has claimed trade union research shows neighbourhood policing is under strain.
A survey of PCSOs has been publishedA survey of PCSOs has been published
A survey of PCSOs has been published

A survey of police and community support officers saw three-quarters reporting a cut in the number of colleagues in their neighbourhood policing team.

Just over half of those who took part in the Unison survey also claimed to have been put on duties which takes them off the beat.

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Six out of ten of those who responded said they were experiencing more strees than when they started the job.

Shadow Police Minister Jack Dromey said: “Cuts to neighbourhood teams are undermining public safety and putting the police under greater strain.

“PCSOs are the heart of neighbourhood policing, and yet they are being stripped back in most forces. To make matters worse, as well as keeping communities safe, our police officers increasingly have to pick up the pieces where other services have been cut.

“These findings also have extremely worrying implications for counterterrorism. As police chiefs have made starkly clear post-Paris, local officers who are closely engaged with communities have a crucial role in identifying threats at an early stage and preventing serious attacks from happening.

“PCSOs around the country are right to be concerned at the progressive hollowing out of neighbourhood policing teams seen under the Tories.”

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