On the beat with your PCSOs

6:42pm Monday 18th February 2008

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POLICE Community Support Officers have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks as residents debate their effectiveness.

They were introduced as a reassuring uniformed presence in communities but have been accused of being a waste of time because they do not have the same enforcement powers as full police officers.

Parents think we’re always picking on the kids and that there’s only a few of them but when they get here and see the vast amount of them and how intimidating it is they realise the groups do need splitting up.

PCSO Britt Clarke

So the Guardian was invited to join a Friday night patrol with PCSOs Britt Clarke and Geraint Jones to see just what they tackle on the beat.

And we videoed them as they worked in the community, so readers can see it for themselves.

Our first port of call on Friday was an address in Barnton where a 14-year-old girl had been accused of stealing some cigarettes from a friend who then threatened to beat her up.

PCSO Clarke, who covers Witton and Winnington, said: "I would say that for 90 per cent of our work we are the peacemakers.

"We deal with an array of things like neighbour disputes and abandoned 999 calls - sometimes people just can't talk to each other so they call us out and we shed a different light on it and it gets a result."

The PCSOs searched the girl, who did not have the cigarettes, and arranged for her to be picked up by her dad before they were called to disperse a gang of more than 25 youths causing a nuisance at the shops in Kingsmead.

Nuisance This is a common call-out for Northwich's PCSOs on the night shift, when they spend time on mobile patrol tackling nuisance youths and alcohol related disorder before problems escalate.

On Friday night PCSOs Clarke and Jones threatened to take down the details of each teenager's parents and call them out if they did not disperse, which was extremely effective.

PCSO Clarke said: "I think it's good for parents to see the gangs kids are actually hanging around in - parents think we're always picking on the kids and that there's only a few of them but when they get here and see the vast amount of them and how intimidating it is they realise the groups do need splitting up."

During the day shifts PCSOs deal with community issues like parking problems, litter and working with schools.

PCSO Jones, who covers Lostock and Wincham, said: "The school children love us and we're on first name terms with them."

To see a video of the PCSOs patrol on Friday night visit our website northwichguardian.co.uk and follow the video links.