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The community safety accreditation scheme (CSAS) gives a member of the public a range of powers usually only available to police, such as the authority to issue fixed penalty notices for certain offences.
Members of the CSAS often include neighbourhood wardens, park wardens, hospital security staff, trading standards officers and train guards.
Is your organisation looking to join the CSAS? Please visit the CSAS website for more information.
A PCSO is a serving member of the police while an accredited person is a member of the public. A PCSO wears a police uniform, while an accredited person wears the uniform of their employing organisation and an ID badge endorsed by their local police force.
The powers available to an accredited person are also more limited than those available to a PCSO.
There are a range of powers a chief officer within a force area might grant, these include the power to:
An accredited person must carry an identification card.
The card lists the powers the person is trained and authorised to use, for example, ‘power to require persons aged under 18 to surrender alcohol’ or ‘power to request name and address of a person acting in an antisocial manner’.
It’s an offence if a person fails to comply with an authorised request from an accredited person.
Under Part 4 of this Police Reform Act 2002, any organisation or employer involved in community safety patrols, together with their employees, may seek accreditation. Typical examples are:
Please visit the CSAS website for more information.
There are different procedures for applying for accreditation for public sector and private sector employers.
A public sector employer should write to:
Chief Constable
Lincolnshire Police Headquarters
Deepdale Lane
Nettleham
Lincolnshire
LN2 2LT
A private sector company should apply to Police CPI Ltd, who will then tell chief constables about the companies in their areas it recommends for approval.
If you have any queries, please email us.