CHESHIRE Police has confirmed it is seeking to make up to 60 community support officers redundant to help save £13 million.
The force has launched an internal consultation to help save £13m over the next four years through reducing Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and redistributing warranted police officers into neighbourhood policing teams.
On Monday, November 17, Cheshire Police announced an internal consultation to reduce the number of Cheshire funded PCSOs from 87 to 27.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts QPM said: “PCSOs make a significant contribution to our communities in Cheshire by maintaining visibility, gathering local intelligence and fostering relationships with residents in support of policing.
“Therefore, this is not a decision we take lightly, but a necessary one despite significant efforts of the force to secure appropriate levels of savings required to balance our budget this year.
“Cheshire Constabulary has faced significant financial challenges, with a cumulative reduction of £115m since 2008/09 and a further £13m in savings required by 2029.
“As we continue to be impacted by the legacy of austerity, we have got to look at ways of working differently.
OTHER NEWS:
- Cheshire Oaks big wheel fire left man shocked
- Chester woman kicked out at PC in A&E
- Great Sutton man sentenced over images
“As part of these proposals, we have looked at re-designing our workforce to meet the challenges of modern-day policing, supported by having our highest ever number of police officers.
“These changes would put more warranted police officers in our local policing teams going forwards than we have had this year.
“These officers are equipped with the powers and training needed to tackle the crimes that are impacting our communities.
“The public have told us that they want more police officers on the streets tackling crime, and these proposals will support that work, while also supporting the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.
“All of those impacted by the proposals will be provided with the appropriate support through this difficult period, and we will explore redeployment wherever possible.”
A spokesman for the force said that since 2010, police forces across the UK have faced an increased funding gap.
They added: “Cheshire Police has worked hard to achieve these savings, focusing on non-payroll expenses and scrutinising vacancy levels, in order to minimise the number of redundancies and protect front line policing and use of policing powers.
“While we propose to reduce the numbers of PCSOs, these changes would put more warranted police officers in our local policing teams, tackling the crimes that are impacting our communities.
“We have a real focus on neighbourhood policing and are committed to preventing and tackling crime to keep our communities safe.
“But the changing nature of these crimes means that we now need to look at a different workforce design to meet these challenges.
The consultation is set to run for 30 days.
Share