Press Release

Evidently no hunt for evidence on CSOs

27 November 2007

The Metropolitan Police Federation is disappointed, if unsurprised, that the Government has no apparent intention of conducting a proper, independent evaluation of the effectiveness of Community Support Officers (CSOs).
At Question Time (November 26), the Home Secretary was twice asked what assessment had been made of these officers’ impact but she failed to answer.

Nor did she indicate that any evaluation at all was anticipated, speaking only in vague terms of a project under which the National Policing Improvement Agency will “build on good practice” and busy itself examining standardisation of functions and uniforms.

Given the huge political investment  which the Government has made in CSOs (and the financial one, courtesy of the taxpayer), we would have thought a rigorous evaluation would be considered essential. But apparently the Government feels it is unimportant.

The Member for Ealing North, Stephen Pound, asked whether the Home Secretary agreed that those who denigrate CSOs “insult a professional, hard-working, much valued body of men and women”.

We certainly agree (see our stakeholder interview on this site). It’s just that we wonder whether the talent to be found within the CSO cadre might be more fully exploited were its members warranted police officers with a full range of policing abilities.

In this context, we note the comments by the Member for High Peak, Tom Levitt, who said that his local CSOs are joining the police with such alacrity when the opportunity arises that replacement CSOs are having to be recruited “double quick to keep the numbers up”.

Finally, we welcome the Home Secretary’s pledge at Question Time of  “increased support for policing next year”.