Community police numbers to be slashed in latest cuts

Around 2,500 officers, PCSOs and civilian staff are set to lose their jobs at West Midlands Police over the next five years.

The force this morning revealed it has to cut £130million from its budget between now and 2020 as ongoing austerity measures continue to bite.

The latest review is called the ‘WMP2020 change programme’ and West Midlands Police says that with over 80 per cent of operating costs coming from wages, it has been left with no choice but to axe 2,500 jobs by 2020.

A key feature of that report will be the role and amount of PCSOs with West Midlands Police, with chiefs admitting that their numbers “could reduce at a faster rate than the reductions in officers and other police staff over the next five years.”

Chief Constable Chris Sims said: “By 2020 we will have reduced by almost 45 per cent over a decade.

“We haven’t finalised our eventual numbers of PCSOs but it is clear there will need to a significant reduction in the numbers between now and 2020.

“We will be working hard to ensure this is managed in a way that does not diminish the delivery of a policing style that is firmly connected to the communities we serve.

“I know many PCSOs are highly valued by the public and colleagues.

“We will, as we have with all our staff, do all we can to find other roles for them in the force and will be looking at how we can ensure they are able to apply for police officer posts as part of our current recruitment drive.”

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “Neighbourhood policing is key to our relationships with communities.

“However, in the face of growing pressure on our services, the force will have to look and feel different to respond to crime in the future.

“I support the professional and thorough approach the Chief Constable is taking.”

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “Neighbourhood policing is key to our relationships with communities.

Can't remember the last time I saw a beat walking Bobby.

Plans to cut PCSO numbers by 78% in West Midlands announced

The number of police community support officers (PCSOs) in the West Midlands could fall by 78% by 2020 under proposals announced by police.

Plans to cut their number to 119 were "hugely regrettable but unavoidable," said West Midlands Police (WMP).

Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said PCSOs would be the first expected casualty of the government's "continued attack on policing".

The Home Office said police still had sufficient resources to do their work.

Changes made by the government since 2010 have made it "easier for the police to do their job" by cutting red tape and scrapping unnecessary targets, the spokesman said.

What matters is "how officers are deployed and not how many of them there are in total", he added.

WMP said it has 674 PCSO posts, of which 139 are currently vacant and not being advertised.

These latest plans would see their number fall from 535 to 119.

WMP said it has to make savings of £130m during the next five years, and that its "wholesale review of local policing" was part of a wider policing plan.

It said it had faced "unprecedented cuts since 2010" and seen more than £146m shaved off its budget.

Given that wages represent more than 80% of costs, Mr Jamieson warned there was "only so much" it could do "without making difficult choices".

The scale and pace of the proposed changes are dependent on a number of factors, including the government's Comprehensive Spending Review later this month, the force said.

Deputy Chief Constable David Thompson said he remained clear that his force was "not pulling away from working closely" with its communities.

Jill Harrison, West Midlands Police Unison branch secretary, said PCSOs had been "a real success in keeping the public safe and working to reduce crime".

She warned: "Clearly the only people that are going to be happy about this are the criminals themselves."

The force said it was now entering into a formal consultation period, lasting a minimum of 45 days, with trade unions and staff.

This is a move that those in power are going to regret.

We are seeing more and more civil unrest, particularly as the austerity cuts begin to bite; and with the 'refugees' (term used loosely) that we are taking things are only going to get worse.

Cutting numbers at the sharp end isn't the smartest of moves. I know PCSOs are limited in their powers, but they are the eyes and ears of the police and they are 'boots on the ground'.

According to a friend of mine who has been a PCSO for a long time now, there is plenty of excess fat to be cut from the top.

Don't be silly Rebonk they can find plentry of police power if there s trouble in their posh area homes that is if they are not abroad in their posh villas spending their money in that country.

That's a valid point Melisandra, but the question is, will the boys in blue bother to protect those that have betrayed us? After all, most police officers face the same daily struggle that we do.

I think this Rebbonk will answer your question on who they the police have allegiance to in their oath and its not us even though it should be as we pay their wage in council tax bill brake down on our services dont we or am I wrong.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_oath

Criminals are only ones to benefit from cuts to PCSOs, says Coventry MP



Coventry MP Geoffrey Robinson says the only people who will be happy about the huge cuts to the number of PCSOs in the city will be criminals.

He said: “Cuts have consequences - there is no way a police force can make cuts of this magnitude without it impacting on public safety.

“This is a terrible blow for communities in Coventry and the West Midlands who are being forced to bear the brunt of the government’s reckless police budget cuts.

“Clearly the only people that are going to be happy about this are the criminals themselves.

“The government is allowing neighbourhood policing roles to be decimated, so much so that if these proposals go ahead by September 2016 the West Midlands may only have 349 Police Community Support Officers left.

“The unfortunate reality is that we will lose a lot of our police patrolling the streets as over four-fifths of the West Midlands Police costs are wages so there is only so much they can do.”

I'm afraid I agree with Robinson.

I expect safety on the streets of Coventry to decline and I expect crime to increase. Of course, the reporting of crimes will likely change so that these things don't actually appear on the statistics we are shown.

We are going to Hell in a handcart!