WHITEHILL Police has received a boost in its plans to tackle low-level crime in the area with the addition of two new police community support officers (PCSOs) this week. The PCSOs will cover the north and south of the Longmoor area, one at Liss and Liphook and the other will be assigned to Headley, Grayshott and Lindford. "The PCSOs will be able to move around to other areas when they are needed. Their job is to provide high visibility foot patrol and 85 per cent of the time they will be on foot which is a lot more than the PCs can manage. "Hopefully they will provide public reassurance and help people with low-level crime which will free up time for the other officers to deal with the more complicated duties. We are very pleased to have them on board to share the work-load," Whitehill's inspector Gerry Thorne said. Twenty-six officers in total have been deployed throughout Hampshire to aid the police force. They will deal primarily with incidents of antisocial behaviour that do not require the full powers of a police officer. PCSOs will have a key role in the force's "Creating Safer Communities" programme. "This week people in several communities across Hampshire will start to see PCSOs patrolling their streets and I am sure that all the PCSOs will soon become an integral part of their neighbourhood policing teams," assistant chief constable Simon Cole said. "A large part of the role of PCSOs is to be out on patrol, talking to people and getting to know the local area." Although they do not have the full powers of a police officer, PCSOs can issue fixed penalty notices for a range of offences, including disorder, littering, dog fouling, cycling on the pavement and throwing fireworks. They can confiscate cigarettes and alcohol from underage children and disperse groups in designated areas. PCSOs cannot arrest people, but if they suspect someone of being involved in a criminal offence, they can use reasonable force to detain them for up to 30 minutes while they wait for a police officer. Next week The Herald will speak to the recruits at Whitehill Police Station to get their views on the job in hand.
