Becoming a Police Community Support Officer
If you are thinking of becoming a Police Community Support Officer, then well done! You will find that it will be one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs that you could possibly have. Please take time to read this article, as I hope to make the challenge of becoming one slightly easier for you, and I hope to enlighten you on what is wanted, and needed. I am currently a PCSO myself, and I take great pride in my work. I do feel that a lot of work is needed to increase the popularity of PCSO's, however by working hard, and being the best you can be, you will find that once you get to the streets, there will be plenty of respect out there waiting for you. I shall discuss the origins of a PCSO, what the job role consists of but I will also give you tips on getting the job, and also being the best PCSO you can be.
Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) were introduced to the streets of the United Kingdom, following the release of a piece of legislation, which has changed the way our streets are policed. The Police Reform Act 2002 introduced PCSOs and gave PCSO's powers to help to enforce the law, and Police our streets.
Piles of paperwork, and overstretched work loads were keeping our Police Officers from our streets, and kept them stuck in the Police stations. The public felt that this was unacceptable, and were starting to feel neglected by the Police, and were not satisfied with the service they were being given. PCSO's were brought in to assist with "low level" crime and to patrol the UK's streets to help to prevent crime. Community Policing has now come to the very top of Britain's Police Force's priorities and many of you may have seen the new "Policing Pledge", which is a set of guidelines the Police must abide by to ensure that the Public get the best possible service. PCSO's play a big part in this, and if you are thinking of becoming a PCSO, you must be ready to become a foundation of a community.
Joining the role is slightly different to many other jobs that are available. PCSO's enroll new recruits several times of the year, so you must be prepared to wait for maybe months before you can apply. My best advice for you is this; find out which constabulary covers the area you live in. A simple web search will bring you to your Police Service's website. The website should contain information on when the next intake will occur. Failing this, simply ring up the service number given for your service, (not 999!) and ask to be put through to the recruiting department.
After displaying interest, you should receive a pack in the post which will include an application pack. You will find that you are answering a lot of the usual "CV" questions (past experience, education etc), but you will also be asked questions on life experiences that you have had, and how you dealt with the challenges that were thrown at you. Answer honestly, and take time to plan and evaluate your answers. Describe your actions, and explain why you did them. Your answers are crucial in passing the application, so ensure that you do take time on it and do not rush any of your answers.
You may be asked to attend a recruitment centre, where you will be asked to complete several written exercises, role plays and logic tests. This will not apply to every force in the UK, however, upon receiving the application pack, you will be told in detail what is needed of you, and will go through the whole process.
Upon completing this, you will need to attend an interview. This will usually be held at your local Police Headquarters. My only advice for this stage is for you to be yourself. Honesty and integrity play key parts in the Police Service, and no Officers would want to recruit someone with a made up personality. Remain calm, answer questions honestly, and be yourself.
If you are successful in all of these processes, then congratulations, you are now a Police Community Support Officer.
You may have heard a lot of bad press in the media about PCSOs and how much of a "waste of money" they are. Well I can tell you one thing now; it is money well spent. PCSOs do a fantastic job on the streets, and can be effectively used to reduce crime, and increase confidence in Policing. However, please bear the following in mind. I feel that the reason that there are bad thoughts about PCSO's is because there is a small minority that do not live up to what is required. I think that some PCSOs have joined the job for "an easy life". They see the job of a PCSO to patrol an area, for a whole day, interact with the community and simply "walk around". This is not the case. A PCSO's day can vary day to day, and you will find that you will rarely encounter a day that is the same to any other.
PCSOs are part of the Police Family. It is not all about walking about and talking to children. An effective PCSO should assist in investigating "low level crime", such as damages to bus stops, shop thefts, damages to cars etc. Many good PCSOs can find suspects of these sorts of crimes, and get an officer to arrest the suspect, and play a big part in the criminal justice system. PCSOs should be gathering and relaying important intelligence about the local criminals. Whilst patrolling, get to know the criminals and the "bad kids". Find out where they work, live, eat, who they hang around with. Intelligence plays such a key part in Policing, and PCSOs should understand that any intelligence they can and will assist other officers when it is needed. PCSOs were brought in as a "non -confrontational role", i.e. not making arrests, keeping away from violent persons. At the end of the day, according to the new "Policing Pledge", 80% of your time should be spent out of the station, and in the local community. That is on approximately 6 hours of your day. So for 6 hours of every day, you will be confronting members of the public, speaking to them face to face. You may need to use your powers to issue Fixed Penalty Notices, or escorting a truant back to his school. Do not be scared in doing so.
The role of a PCSO will become the most challenging, yet rewarding and exciting job you could have. My main piece of advice for you is this. Get to know the powers you have as a PCSO, and use them! Do not be scared to get stuck in, as it's the not getting stuck in that has recently been giving PCSOs a bad name. You will become part of the Police family. Get involved, assist other Officers, and work your very hardest to become part of the local community, believe me, the rewards will be endless.
Finally, I wish you all the best with your new career. As you have taken time to search for this article, and read it all the way to the end, I can see that you are already dedicated and are willing to research the role as a PCSO, which will make your job a 100% more rewarding.
Thank you for reading, and good luck!
- Please note that PCSOs powers and roles differ between force areas, so be sure to research PCSOs in your area!
