Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are police staff, employed by the Police Authority. A uniformed and highly visible presence, they perform a patrolling role to provide reassurance to the communities they serve.
Working alongside police officers, they focus predominantly on lower level crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour.
PCSOs also have a key role to play in freeing up police officer time. They perform some of the functions that require a police presence - but do not necessarily require the full skills and expertise of a police officer. They provide a significant link between the police and the community capturing information that allows us to combat crime and improve people's quality of life.
The Police Reform Act allows Chief Officers of Police to designate PCSOs with limited enforcement powers to enable them to tackle such issues effectively - Lincolnshire PCSO Powers.
You are likely to spend most of your time out on patrol mostly working with your community. You will carry a radio to communicate with police control rooms and other colleagues, and operate out of local police stations or community buildings.You will often be asked to patrol areas that have been experiencing particular problems, such as estates where there have been a spate of car thefts or burglaries, or where there have been complaints about nuisance youths on the streets.
You will wear a high-visibility uniform, similar to a police officer's but you do not carry handcuffs or a baton.
The following list is a few of the duties you could expect to perform as a PCSO:
- Deal with minor offences and anti-social behaviour
- Deal with abandoned vehicles,
- Assist with missing persons enquiries
- Deal with community issues
- Assist with house to house enquiries
- Patrol major public events and ceremonials
- Protect the public from security threats.
- Offer early intervention to deter people from committing offences
- Guard crime scenes
- Provide crime prevention advice and support victims of crime
- Gather evidence through observation
- Confiscate alcohol and tobacco
- Help direct traffic at road blocks or scenes of accidents
Applicants need to be aware that they will be expected to serve anywhere within the county of Lincolnshire. However every effort is made to take personal needs and circumstances into account where possible. It is worth noting that there will need to be a balance between personal and organisational needs.
