`Plastic Police' Or 'Community Support'?

Abstract

Since 2002, English and Welsh police forces have been able to employ a new form of staff to assist police with street patrols, transport duties, local monitoring and enforcement. These Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs or, as in this article, CSOs) were introduced in the Police Reform Act 2002 to address lower-level crime and disorder and to reassure the public. This and subsequent Acts designated limited police powers for CSOs, and most forces actually granted even fewer. The CSO role is therefore one of a high-profile, frontline police worker linking between police and the public, but without powers typically associated with policing. This limitation has cast doubt on CSOs' ability to address disorder or to reassure the public. This article argues that CSOs were able to offer valuable support both to police and the areas they serve despite these limited powers. Indeed, the research indicates that having few powers actually enhanced CSOs' ability to engage with local residents, workers and organizations. The article traces how CSOs were operating in low-income areas with low-grade environments and above-average crime rates. These areas are considered because they would benefit most from efforts to address disorder and insecurity. Not only should local quality of life be enhanced in the short term, but such reductions could also help to foster and sustain longer-term renewal. Using evidence from eight low-income areas in England and Wales, the article assesses CSOs' contribution to reducing environmental disorder, promoting order and reassuring local people. The research finds that, although referred to as `plastic police', CSOs were in fact contributing to policing and to the area more broadly in ways which could be expected to aid renewal.