Norfolk’s crime chiefs have ruled out bringing back police community support officers, despite admitting the public would like to see them back on the streets.
PCSOs were hailed as the eyes and ears of the police when they were launched in 2002 to help provide a visual presence and provide back-up to forces.
But Norfolk scrapped its 150 PCSOs, who did not have powers of arrest, in 2018 as part of a radical redesign of its policing model.
Then chief constable Simon Bailey instead used the £1.6m saving to provide 87 additional police officers.
At a meeting of the Norfolk Police and Crime Panel on Monday (November 14) north Norfolk councillor Sarah Butikofer said “parish councils and members of the public consider getting rid of PCSOs was a mistake”.
Urging current chief constable Paul Sanford and Norfolk police and crime commissioner Giles Orpen-Smellie to reconsider, she added: “I still think the people of Norfolk deserve them to be brought back.
“As far as I’m aware we are the only county in the UK without them.”
Mr Orpen-Smellie said: “If I had a magic money tree I would very happily reintroduce PCSOs and I have discussed this with the chief constable and the finance chief.
“The basic problem is a simple one of budgets. I simply don’t have the resources to do it. I’d love to, but I can’t. But I do not deny that the public would love to see them back."
Mr Sanford said the force got “more bang for its buck from employing police officers than PCSOs”.
“The crime threats that this county is facing can only be resolved through police officers with the full range of police powers,” he added.
“Neighbourhood crime has reduced consistently since we’ve lost the PCSOs. We have the second lowest burglary rate in the country for example.
“What has been rising, and sadly rising exponentially, is rape, fraud and child sexual abuse and a PCSO does not allow me to combat those threats.”
Mr Orpen-Smellie said he had been contacted by other PCCs and believed other police forces may follow Norfolk in scrapping PSCOs.
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