PCSOs are a priority (From Braintree and Witham Times)

PCSOs are a priority

4:18pm Thursday 11th December 2008

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The winter issue of Contact, Braintree Council’s newsletter, urges residents to tell the council what the priorities should be for next year’s budget.

At the same time, among the famous leaked Home Office documents, is a letter the minister sent to the Prime Minister warning that in a recession, crime is likely to increase.

Looking at the summary of the budget proposals from the council’s cabinet (Times, December 3), there is a saving of £54,000 by stopping funding for PCSOs.

As we are (a) in a recession and (b) are, therefore, likely to experience an increase in crime, can it be sensible to cut back on PCSOs, one of the most welcome developments in policing in recent years?

My own experience of PCSOs, both when they are on duty and through the central Braintree neighbourhood action panel, has been entirely positive and I strongly believe they should themselves be supported, and not cut back.

May I urge your readers to support our PCSOs and write accordingly to the council’s leader at Causeway House?

This can be done by letter or e-mail, and needs to be done quickly or the budget will be finalised before the public’s views can be known.

There is always the chance that the council might be able to recover the £5 million it has frozen somewhere in Iceland, which should make its “austerity package” unnecessary – and maybe even give us a refund.

VERNON ROLLS

Croft Close, Braintree

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