Police chief 'disappointed' with decision

CHESHIRE'S police and crime commissioner says he is ‘disappointed’ with the decision to axe 60 PCSOs and has put forward alternative proposals which could potentially save 10 roles.

- BY BELINDA RYAN, LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER

Assistant Chief Constable Alison Ross emailed stakeholders last week saying the force planned to press ahead with proposals to reduce the number of police community support officer (PCSO) posts from 87 to 27 across the county.

She said Cheshire Police needs to save £13 million over the next four years and reducing the number of PCSOs ‘will also allow us to redeploy warranted police officers into local policing teams, ensuring we have the right resources and powers in place to tackle the issues that matter most to our communities’.