Officers in support role go on patrol

Bournemouth Police is seeking fresh and motivated communicators to become one of the force's ten new Police Community Support Officers and has already selected four new recruits, three of them women, who will commence a four-week training course in October.

The idea for the new officers, who will have similar powers to police officers, was introduced in the 2002 Police Reform Act by the Home Secretary, to provide highly visible community policing.

The new full-time, salaried recruits, who will receive between £15,300 and £17,000, as well as a shift allowance, should provide an important liaison with Bournemouth Division's regular officers.

Superintendent Nick Hazelton said: "We are looking for people with good inter-personal skills, who want to make a difference and to make an impact on society.

"They may for example have to deal with things like anti-social behaviour and have got to be able to resolve things through commonsense.

"They will have powers to confiscate alcohol and tobacco as well as to remove abandoned vehicles or issue fixed penalty notices for anti-social behaviour. Mostly they will be good communicators and be able to problem-solve."

He added: "If you go to a public meeting, you rarely hear people talk about violent crime. They tend to talk about things like kids being a nuisance, anti-social behaviour and dog fouling. That is what really concerns them.

Once their training is complete, the new recruits who will be issued with their own uniforms, will accompany community beat officers before going out by themselves on patrol.

Dave Marsh, 24, from Dorchester, has swapped his career as an outdoor pursuits instructor, to become Blandford's latest recruit.

"I could not become a PC because of eyesight regulations but I am allowed to do this. I have been doing it for three months and I think it's a very worthwhile job. People have said it is very reassuring to have some presence back on the streets again."

First published: August 27