Become a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) and you will act as the eyes and ears on the streets.

You will provide a visible uniformed presence in the community, helping the police to tackle anti-social behaviour and offering reassurance to the public. Working shifts alongside police officers and police staff until midnight, you will play an important part in the prevention of crime and disorder under the direction of a police commander.

Your job is all about communication so you will make it your business to get to know the people who visit, work and live in the area. You will gather and share information about active criminals and plan your patrols around crime analysis data. As a result, you will contribute towards helping the police solve community-related problems.

You will engage with the community, go out on patrol in your area, prepare and process incident paperwork, prepare and obtain witness statements, and attend court to give evidence if required.

 

What kind of policing will I be involved in?

Here are just some of the issues you may deal with on a day to day basis:

• Dealing with truants, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, missing persons enquiries
• Helping to support victims
• Assisting with house to house enquiries
• Patrolling major public events and ceremonials
• Supporting the police to increase public safety
• Crowd control
• Increasing public safety
• Contributing to the regeneration of local communities
• Protecting the public from security threats.

 

What powers will I have as a PCSO?

PCSOs have certain police powers, including:

• the power to detain someone until a police officer arrives
• the power to direct traffic and remove vehicles
• the power to issue fixed penalty notices for various anti-social behaviours.

 

During the day your work may involve patrolling the main shopping and residential areas, but as evening approaches your patrols are directed towards various bars and nightclubs.

 

Describe my typical day as a PCSO

At the start of a typical day, you attend a briefing with your team. One of the Community Response Sergeants updates you on crime and disorder problems and you are given an area to patrol with a colleague or police officer.

The Sergeant may task you to assist people who have contacted the police. You will have to record information accurately and concisely, completing paperwork for other officers or departments. This can include taking statements from members of the public and local businesses so your writing needs to be neat and legible as others will depend on this information.

On a typical shift you may be tasked with patrolling a large retail area. This is certainly a job for someone who likes meeting people as people approach you for all manner of things. You will assess each individual person you meet and decide on the appropriate response. You may have to use your first aid training to assist an injured member of the public. You will use your radio to obtain further assistance, for example when dealing with a drunken man aggravating shoppers.

On such an occasion as when you are waiting for officers, you ensure you make notes in your personal note book, should you be called to attend court.

For the last part of a typical shift, you could be tasked to patrol the early evening celebrations after a local football match. Your communication skills are vital as many people have been drinking and some are in boisterous mood. You assist police officers to monitor the crowds and report quickly any escalating tensions via your personal radio.

 

What's in it for me?

You will find the job to be hugely diverse but also very rewarding.  You can often solve problems on your own or with your police colleagues and being part of a team gives you the confidence to do your job. You will get immense satisfaction from knowing that you are doing something that directly affects the quality of life within your area.

 

If you would like any further information about the role of a PCSO, please contact the Recruitment Team by telephoning 01953 423823 or by emailing recruitment@norfolk.pnn.police.uk.