Northumbria Police scales back plan to cut PCSOs

A police force that planned to axe 95 community support officer posts (PCSOs) has said some jobs will now be saved.

Northumbria Police announced the cuts, and the scrapping of 41 empty positions, as part of a £12m budget reduction in March.

However, the force will save 38 roles after it secured further grant funding.

Kim McGuinness, the Labour Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria, said it would put the force "in a much better place".

She previously said the force could not afford to keep all the roles, while employing an additional 134 police officers.

Ms McGuinness, whose elected job is to hold the chief constable and the force to account, as well as setting its budget, said the force had "overwhelming cost increases" from challenges including inflation.

It prompted concern from the trade union Unison and Newcastle Lib Democrat councillor Greg Stone, who said she was "failing to comply with her duty of accountability".

On Wednesday, she said neighbourhood policing plans had been "evaluated" and she had taken "valued feedback on board".

She said: "To my relief, we have good news. We secured funding for recruitment which thankfully means our PCSO numbers can take less of a hit than we feared.

"We are now in a financial position where we can retain 38 more."

She said the force still needed more police officers, and police staff, but without further government funding, it remained in "uncertain times".

PCSOs, who are paid up to £29,000 a year at Northumbria Police, engage with communities to offer a visible police presence.

They also help tackle problems such as anti-social behaviour but do not have the same powers as police officers, such as the power of arrest.

Some staff affected by redundancy are set to be redeployed to fill other vacant roles, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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