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Police Reform Act 2002 (Standard Powers and Duties of Community Support Officers) Order 2007

rose to move that the draft order laid before the House on 8 October be approved. The noble Lord said: My Lords, the order before your Lordships’ House introduces a list of standard powers for police community support officers and has already been approved in another place. The order will take effect from 1 December this year and all chief officers of police in England and Wales will be required to ensure that PCSOs are suitable, trained and competent in these areas. The Secretary of State is able to introduce, by order, standard powers and duties for PCSOs but is required, first, to consult the Association of Chief Police Officers, ACPO, and the Association of Police Authorities, the APA. I am sure that noble Lords will be pleased to note that, given the interest in this subject, we decided to extend the statutory consultation to include also the Police Superintendents’ Association, the Police Federation, UNISON, the Public and Commercial Services Union and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association. Noble Lords will also notice that the list of powers included in the order reflects the views expressed during the passage of the Police and Justice Bill. We listened to the comments and, in considering the final list of powers to be included, sought to strike an appropriate balance between the need to maintain the largely non-confrontational, community-engagement role of the PCSO and the need to ensure that all PCSOs are provided with a robust set of powers that will enable them to contribute most effectively to neighbourhood policing and deal with low-level disorder and anti-social behaviour. I am aware that, during debate on the Police and Justice Bill on this subject, some Members of the Opposition were concerned about the centre directing and governing the activity of the police. I stress that operational decisions about the deployment of PCSOs must, rightly, be left in the hands of chief police officers. However, there has been clear support from both ACPO and the APA for the introduction of a standard set of powers for PCSOs. They have been concerned about how the disparity in the extent to which PCSOs are designated with powers from force to force has lead to public confusion over their powers and role. There is support for standard powers, and noble Lords will be reassured to know that the statutory consultation that took place earlier this year showed that there is also a consensus on the content of the list of standard powers. The consensus around what powers are appropriate is also reflected in the extent to which most forces are already using the powers included in the standard list. The audit of powers designated by force, which was completed by the Home Office and ACPO and published on the Home Office PCSO web page in May this year, showed that, at that stage, 10 of the 20 powers proposed as standard are already designated in over 85 per cent of forces and that a further five powers are designated in over 70 per cent of forces. In fact, more than a third of forces already designate all the powers on the standard list to some or all of their PCSOs. Significantly, those 15 forces represent more than half the strength of PCSO numbers in England and Wales. We are pleased with the extent to which forces have already introduced the powers included on the standard list. However, this order will ensure that the public can be confident that all PCSOs in their area are appropriately empowered to deal with issues that have a detrimental impact on the safety and security of their communities. The value of PCSOs is found not just in their ability to deal with issues on the street; a key element of their role is in providing visible reassurance and a familiar face that understands the concerns of communities. They act as the eyes and ears of the police service in the heart of our communities, and that vital role should not be underestimated. The fact that the PCSO is attracting a broader representation of our society in terms of age, race and gender is also very welcome, and it has no doubt helped police community support officers to win the confidence of the diverse communities that they serve. This dual approach to engagement and enforcement is key to the successful delivery of neighbourhood policing. Noble Lords will, I am sure, be aware of the Government’s commitment to working with the police to ensure that a dedicated neighbourhood policing team is in every area in England and Wales by March 2008 providing high-profile, community-focused policing. As part of that commitment, we have provided the resources to enable police numbers to reach record levels. The police family has never been bigger and we have an historic number of sworn police officers. Although PCSOs are not, and never will be, a replacement for fully sworn constables, they also have an important role to play as part of the policing family. Our work with the police on a nationwide recruitment drive has already seen the number of PCSOs achieve the target of 16,000 set for April 2007. Taken together, these measures mean that we are seeing an ever-increasing presence on the street, deterring crime and reassuring communities, and we see the introduction of the standard powers for PCSOs as a means to further enhance the already positive impact that they are having in our communities. I beg to move. Moved, That the draft order laid before the House on 8 October be approved. 27th Report from the Statutory Instruments Committee.—(Lord Bassam of Brighton.)