Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Jane Kennedy (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 15 May 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Police Community Support Officers

Question: rose— Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the House. May I warmly welcome my hon. Friend to his new portfolio on the Front Bench? I look forward to holding him to account in the friendliest way possible in the weeks and months to come. In Liverpool, 69 community support officers are ably supporting the police and are well deployed and appreciated. However, Liverpool city council also employs 39 street crime wardens and, to the dismay of the chief constable, they wear an almost identical uniform to that of police officers. Will my hon. Friend keep an eye on such otherwise laudable anti-crime initiatives, which have the potential to create confusion and undermine confidence in excellent community support officers?

Answer: I thank my right hon. Friend for her welcome. I hope to ensure that I work in such a way that the accountability of which she talks will be a matter of pride for both of us. The matter of uniforms issued to PCSOs is an operational one for chief officers. However, I believe that the common standard uniform set out by the Association of Chief Police Officers distinguishes PCSOs from police officers, while clearly identifying them as members of the police family. I congratulate Liverpool city council on its street wardens and on the work that PCSOs are doing in my right hon. Friend’s area and others to reduce crime.

Secondary information