Plans to scrap 60 PCSOs opposed by two councils

TWO councils are calling on Cheshire Constabulary to pull the plug on plans to axe up to 60 of the county’s 87 Police Community Support Officers.

- BY MARK SMITH AND BELINDA RYAN Local Democracy Reporters

Handforth PCSO Gareth Harding Cllr Julie Smith Cllr Janet Clowes

Both Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East councillors want a rethink over the controversial proposal.

A meeting of Cheshire West and Chester Full Council recently backed a motion calling on the force to reconsider a move to reduce the number of PCSOs in Cheshire from 87 to 27.

Cheshire Police said it would help save £13 million but also enable it to reorganise its resources to help meet the Government's new policing guarantee - with regular police officers instead being redistributed to neighbourhood policing teams.

But a motion put forward by Cllr Phil Marshall (Conservative, Marbury) called for the plans to be reconsidered, as well as seek answers to questions.

The motion stated: “How will the allocation of warranted officers across communities address the current sparsity of policing human resources across the wider geographies of rural communities as rural crime continues to rise?

“This council requests that the chief constable reconsiders his decision to reduce their PCSO cohort.”

Cllr Marshall told members: “It's not simply a matter of jobs, it’s a matter of community safety, accessibility and accountability.”