LOCAL MPs have called for a rethink on plans to alter working hours for PCSOs across Staffordshire.
The group of Labour representatives say the move will impact frontline policing in communities as well as impacting pay.
They warn that the current proposals would result in fewer PCSOs on the beat and move them away from the areas they serve.
The intervention follows the publication of the Government’s Police Reform White Paper last week, which confirms that reforms will give forces greater flexibility around policing numbers, changes that Labour MPs have pressed for in discussions with Home Office ministers.
It also confirms that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be abolished from 2028, with funding redirected into frontline policing.
The MPs argue that cutting experienced PCSOs now, only to reinstate posts once PCCs are abolished and funding is redistributed, would be short-sighted.
Lichfield MP Dave Robertson, who is one of the signatories to the letter sent to Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams, said:
“PCSOs are trusted members of our communities. With new Government reforms providing greater flexibility and more funding on the horizon, there is no justification for pushing ahead with cuts that will leave our communities less safe.”
The letter has also been signed by Tamworth MP Sarah Edwards, Cannock Chase’s Josh Newbury and Burton and Uttoxeter’s Jacob Collier, as well as representatives for Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
