Thames Valley to come out worst in policing cutbacks

22 January 2007

Thames Valley are set to be one of the major losers in new Government plans to reduce their estimates for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

Theresa May explained, ‘The Government have announced that they will be downgrading their projections for Police Community Support Officers. Having previously announced that there would be 24,000 Police Community Support Officers in place by 2008. Now they have downsized this number to 16,000.

‘What concerns me the most is that the Thames Valley will be one of the greatest losers under this new plan. Having previously promised us an increase of 675 PCSOs by 2008, now we hear that only 417 will be provided, giving us a shortfall of 276, the largest shortfall in the whole South East and one of the top five nationally.

‘I believe PCSOs are a fundamental part of our wider community policing strategy which is vital to an area like the Thames Valley. I am wiring to the Thames Valley Police and the local councils to ask them how they intend to deal with these reduced number and how they will ensure that, despite Government cutbacks, our streets are properly patrolled’.