Kent Police plans to cut number of PCSOs by two thirds

Kent Police plans to close 208 PCSO jobs, saving £6.7m

Kent Police plans to cut the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) by two thirds.

The force has proposed to close 208 full time equivalent PCSO positions, leaving 102 officers in post.

Kent Police said an extra 134 police officers would be moved into neighbourhood policing roles.

Ian Pointon, branch secretary of the union Unison, said: "My real fear is that we won't realise what we've lost until it's too late."

Deputy Chief Constable Peter Ayling said: "As a result of the Home Office funded police officer uplift programme Kent Police will have 4,145 officers by March 2023, the highest in our history.

"With many hundreds of extra police officers going on to the streets of Kent we have been reviewing our neighbourhood policing model to ensure our police officers and PCSOs are used in the most operationally effective and efficient way."

'Significant human cost'

Mr Pointon said: "There will be those who welcome the additional police officers into neighbourhood policing.

"However, all my experience tells me those police officers will soon be pulled away for other duties because they have all the warranted powers of a police officer."

Kent Police said the proposals would save the force £6.7m.

Mr Ayling added: "Kent Police is comparatively poorly funded and the next few years will be challenging. It is likely we will need to achieve around £30m savings over the next four years from a budget where 82% of our expenditure is on people."

Mr Pointon said: "We must not lose sight of the people involved in this process, our valued colleagues who will lose their livelihoods in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.

"There is a significant human cost to this decision."

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