Scrap PCSO cuts, two councils urge

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

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."

Earlier this year the Government announced its neighbourhood policing guarantee which is aimed at increasing police visibility, as well as tackling local crime and antisocial behaviour.

Cllr Marshall told the chamber: "The neighbourhood policing guarantee is a national commitment to increase neighbourhood officers and PCSOs.