Volunteer Police Community Support Officer (PCSO)

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Conference
2007 Police Staff Service Group Conference
Date
4 October 2007
Decision
Carried

The interim Flanagan report makes recommendations for the introduction of volunteer PCSO. Conference is committed to the principle that jobs and tasks within the police service be undertaken by paid employees and where this is not possible, volunteers do not substitute or undertake the work of paid employees.

The recommendation to introduce volunteer PCSO is of concern in particular as both the police service and the Home Office are unclear as to the role of PCSO. Conference believes that yet another level of non-paid non-professional volunteers is a symptom of a creaking service.

Conference instructs the SGE to:

1Seek a dialogue with the Home Office to enable the Service groups views are taken into consideration prior to any decision to introduce volunteer PCSO.

2Consider the introduction of an appropriate service group campaign to resist the introduction of volunteer PCSO.

3Reaffirm the professional status of PCSO within the police service in its dealings with appropriate bodies and any subsequent press releases