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Members of the Association Committee Gordon Bull Chair, Lewes Tel. 01273 480153 Catherine Hargrave Secretary, Lewes Graham King Treasurer, Lewes (Lewes Nevill area) Chris Burt Lewes (Lewes Malling area) David Gray Lewes (Lewes Landport area) Tel. 01273 475480 Gwyneth Watkinson Lewes Marion Cottingham Newick Lucia Simpson Ringmer PC Duncan Ellison Police liaison officer |
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Report of coordinators’ meeting held at St Mary’s Church, Highdown Road, Lewes on Saturday 22 September 2007
28 coordinators attended the meeting together with some 10 members of Sussex Police. The morning was devoted to a discussion revolving around Neighbourhood Watch working with PCSOs. Inspector Viv Johnson gave a presentation about the work of PCSOs and a summary of the presentation is attached to this report.
The coordinators, working with the PCSOs - The groups became very engaged in their discussions and this led to a range of outputs from the groups. If a single theme emerged, it was improved communications in both directions.
What can your PCSO do for you? The answers to this question can be grouped under three, then considered as three questions: What can your PCSO do for you? What can you do for your PCSO? How best can you work with your PCSO?
HEADINGS: Reassurance 1. more personal community contacts including with schools and young people 2. regular times when available at defined locations 3. better communication from PCSO to coordinators 4. agreed ways of leave messages when PCSO is off sick or on leave 5. direct contact between PCSO and coordinators (which will come about when PCSOs deliver multiple copies of monthly newsletter to coordinators) 6. greater visibility in local areas and around pubs Response more contact and information exchange when there is a crime in the area Feedback 1. keeping coordinators aware of police activities and actions 2. informing coordinators of outcome of crimes in their area.
What can you do for your PCSO? A wide range of suggestions were made including: 1. make personal contact with your PCSO 2. be the eyes and ears for the PCSO, providing information for them (don’t assume they are aware of anything) 3. keep PCSO contact details to hand 4. disseminate information from PCSO to other residents in your scheme 5. tell your scheme members about their local PCSO 6. make your scheme members aware of the Sussex Police website 7. report all issues that worry you using the appropriate contact mechanism
How best can you work with your PCSO? Suggestions included: 1. keep in regular communication with your PCSO using appropriate channels (email, phone or the Sussex Police website) 2. meet PCSO regularly at a location to be advertised by NHW 3. go on patrol with your PCSO 4. work together towards a common purpose 5. maintain a regular flow of relevant information in both directions 6. work with your Parish Council to promote NHW (PCSOs attend most Parish Council meetings)
Conclusion The meeting ended with an open session on how the Association could help coordinators. The need to ensure our records are up-to-date is important and work will commence on this shortly. The delivery of copies of the monthly newsletter to coordinators by PCSOs will greatly improve communication between coordinators and PCSOs. Two new members for the committee were agreed which will ensure that the rural areas are represented on the committee (Marion Cottingham from Newick and Lucia Simpson from Ringmer). Feedback from the police indicated that the PCSOs welcomed being involved throughout the meeting and found it very useful. Coordinators were able to ask for multiple copies of leaflets which will be delivered to them shortly. Those present completed the Lewes Crime Reduction Partnership questionnaire.
It is hoped that all coordinators will pick up on one or more of the above suggestions and begin to work more closely and productively with their PCSO. An information sheet about all the PCSOs in the Lewes district will be circulated shortly but in the mean time information about all PCSOs can be found on the Sussex Police website at http://www.sussex.police.uk/
Thanks to Waitrose who helped meet the cost of the refreshments, to Catherine and Gwyneth who organised the refreshments and to St Mary’s church for letting us use their building. |
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Summary of Inspector Johnson’s presentation
The Role of the PCSO in Sussex Provide a visible presence and reassurance Build links with the local communities Support front line policing in non confrontational roles
Build links between the Neighbourhood Policing Teams and local communities To meet with local businesses, communities and groups Spend majority of time on foot or cycle patrol
Typical PCSO tasks • High visibility patrols of allocated beats • House to house enquiries • Scene guards • Direction of traffic at road traffic collisions or other incidents • Low level nuisance offences • Patrolling of ‘hotspots’ • Assist in missing person & low level enquiries • Visiting crime scenes in support capacity • Support Neighbourhood Policing Team officers in non-confrontational duties
Not PCSO tasks • Routine office bound duties • Confrontational front line policing tasks • Initial response to potentially confrontational incidents • Initial response to Road Traffic Collisions • Taking of witness statements • Initial response to sudden deaths • Custody related duties • Initial execution of search or arrest warrants • Any other task that removes them from their main duties
An establishment of 354 PCSOs across Sussex Police New powers are coming in for PCSOs on 1.12.07 |