GMB, the union for police staff, warn lives will be put at risk as new figures show PCSO numbers have dropped by 5.1% in the last year.
According to the latest Home Office workforce estimates, published today (30th January), the number of PCSOs in England and Wales fell from 9,791 to 9,547 between September 2018 and September 2019 - a fall of 5.1%.
A study by GMB late last year revealed 23,500 police staff jobs have been lost in England and Wales since 2010.
Rachel Harrison, GMB National Officer, said:
“The Tories talk tough on crime but on their watch we’ve lost 20,000 police officers, 23,000 police staff - and PCSO numbers are still falling.
“They’ve spent the last decade denying police forces the resources they need to keep the public safe.
“Now they are rushing to recruit 20,000 more police officers to replace the ones they’ve cut. But without upfront funding to resource this, forces are having to cut more 'back office' police staff.
“They have put lives at risk every day. It’s time for the Government to properly fund our police service and properly protect our citizens.”
