Police Community Support Officers
Below is evidence correlating an increase in crime in our neighbourhood with cuts to Community Police Support Officers.
See the page on the role of the Safer in Sussex Community Fund in supporting a Neighbourhood Watch if you prefer to read
how we could respond now to rising crime in Round Hill.
As with many other areas of our city, Round Hill has lost a good community police support officer. Bonnie's last day with Sussex Police was on 25th November 2016 and she sent through the November Crime Figures for our neighbourhood that morning. We thank her for her excellent work.
Without Bonnie, we now have to wait a couple of months to get reports and statistics of crime figures in Round Hill i.e. to know what to be vigilant about through reports of incidents affecting our streets.
Residents in Round Hill have found the work of PCSOs within our own ward (St Peter's and North Laine) to be helpful and indeed exemplary, providing the most positive experience of policing we can remember witnessing in our lives.
Both older and younger residents have appreciated seeing faces we recognise on the beat both in Round Hill and in other areas of the city (e.g. Ditchling Rise, The Level, London Road shops etc).
There has been similar appreciation of PCSOs within the Local and National Press:
Our concerns & appreciation of our PCSOs
- Call for greater police presence to stop neighbourhood being turned into a "no go area" [The Argus: 22 October 2016]
- More crime, fewer patrols, and poorer service in Sussex Police survey [The Argus: 5th May 2017]
- PCSO changes could harm policing [The Argus: 25 March 2016]
- Bobbies on the beat really do prevent crime [University of Cambridge study]
The above reports mark the new reality that neighbourhoods like Round Hill, the Triangle, St Peter's and North Laine now notice fewer PCSOs on the beat because
- 1. there are already fewer of them (some did not wish to re-apply for jobs involving them in more time behind desks than before)
- 2. those who remain in work are no longer assigned to clusters of neighbourhoods close together
This is disappointing news because "taking away the familiar face" could very easily undo the good relationships which have been achieved through the dedication of PCSOs who have had time to get to know particular communities in our city.
This page was last updated by Ted on 30-Oct-2021