Public doubts powers available to community support police

Academics at Sheffield Hallam University carried out a study, commissioned by South Yorkshire Police, to establish the level of public confidence in the force.

They found that, although PCSOs are a "welcome presence", members of the public feel they do not have the power and authority to solve the "problem of insufficient police on the ground."

Respondents said PCSOs should either be given greater powers or should be primarily engaged on paperwork, to release others for policing. It was also suggested that joint patrols of PCSOs and police officers should take place.

One pensioner, from Woodseats in Sheffield, told the academics that PCSOs "don't hold any weight" and added: "I don't really think that anybody that's anti-social is going to take any notice."

In carrying out their study, An Investigation of Local Confidence in South Yorkshire Police, the academics organised 11 focus groups with a total of 73 participants from across the county. Researchers found people praised the way police dealt with emergencies or serious crimes but criticised their effectiveness in dealing with "complex, persistent, community-embedded or anti-social behaviour" problems.

Participants said there were problems in the distribution of resources between "real crime" and nuisance behaviour and complained that policing was concentrated in town centres, which they said "negatively impacts on out-of-town areas."

The academics' report said: "They want to see policemen on their

streets and want the opportunity to build mutually-beneficial relationships, rather than observe a distant police force, unreachable and potentially unresponsive to their needs.

"Participants felt frustrated that the police are no longer

sufficiently embedded within or connected to local communities to be effective in addressing local concerns."

Respondents told the researchers they would like to see increased patrolling, both on foot and in patrol cars, particularly foot patrols by constables who become known to the local community. They also said there was a need to restore local police stations, including in some cases police "boxes" as a sign of a "connected local presence."

The academics' report does not recommend either increasing PCSO powers or moving them to desk jobs, however. Instead it recommends the force should clarify to the public the different roles of police and civilians.

The researchers also recommended that the police should "enhance the visibility" of their work, keep the public updated on progress with investigations and attend local community meetings to "apply a clear communications agenda."

Chief Constable Med Hughes has previously stated his opinion that PCSOs have appropriate powers, which differentiate them from police officers.

In March 2009 41 per cent of people in South Yorkshire agreed that police are "dealing with anti-social behaviour and crime issues that matter in their area", compared with a national average of 46 per cent.

The force was then set a formal requirement to improve the figure to 55 per cent by the end of March 2011 and 59 per cent by the end of March 2012.

The study will be discussed at a meeting of South Yorkshire Police Authority's community affairs committee, to be held in Barnsley on Friday morning.