Police numbers 'slashed into oblivion' as Brits feel unsafe - search your area
More than 600 police community support officers have been taken off the streets in just one year, Home Office statistics have revealed.
The total number of PCSOs have been "slashed into oblivion" under the Tories, dropping to just 7,651 across England and Wales. When the Tories came into power in 2010 PCSO numbers were at 16,918, but have been falling ever since.
Some 611 fewer PCSOs were on the streets in September 2023 compared to the previous year. The hardest hit police force was Kent, which saw its PCSOs numbers down by 67% in just 12 months. This brought their total number of PCSOs to around 70, down from more than 200 in the previous September.
In general, the North East and South East were disproportionately impacted by cuts, seeing more than 20% decreases in PCSOs compared to the overall average cuts of 7% across England and Wales.
The Lib Dems, who carried out the research, slammed the Conservatives, arguing that “years of putting resources in the wrong places has decimated frontline policing including PCSO numbers”.
The party is calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on their local neighbourhoods.
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Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “Why are the Conservative determined to keep repeating the same mistakes? We know that community officers play a vital role on the frontlines, keeping our communities safe. Yet Conservative ministers keep slashing their numbers into oblivion.”
He added: “Again, this Government is failing the public on crime - and it’s just not good enough. The Conservative must finally restore proper community policing, and invest in putting visible community officers on our streets.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We have delivered our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers in England and Wales and our communities are safer than they were 10 years ago, with neighbourhood crime down 48% since 2010 and violence down 51%.
“Decisions about frontline policing, including the number of PCSOs in neighbourhood policing roles, are for Chief Constables and locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners. They are best placed to make decisions on neighbourhood policing approaches, working with their communities and based on their local knowledge and experience."
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