The future of rural policing is under threat, according to a member of group which aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

Simon Wright, South Hams district councillor for Salcombe and Thurlestone, and a member of the Community Safety Partnership, said: “We’re very concerned about the loss of PCSOs, they’re the best source of information and we’re desperate to keep them. We are so worried that community policing will disappear.”

At last week’s Salcombe Town Council meeting, Cllr Wright said “PCSOs provide an invaluable resource”.

South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership is a partnership which consists of West Devon, South Hams and Teignbridge councils and other agencies such as Devon and Cornwall Police, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue and Dartmoor National Park Authority.

The aim of the partnership is to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, while building confidence in the communities.

In January, Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez unveiled her first police and crime plan, which included plans for “up to 190” of the region’s 340 PCSOs to be cut over the next four years. They will be replaced by 100 new uniformed police officers, 50 civilian investigators and 30 record takers.

But Cllr Wright has stated that “police officers don’t have the time” to engage with rural communities to the same degree as PCSOs.

Cllr Wright said: “We’re very aware that ‘on-the-ground’ information comes from the PCSOs who are out and about in our communities.

“They go to coffee mornings and parish council meetings where they pick up local knowledge and feed the information through to us.

“If we get rid of PCSOs then we will remove policing’s link to the rural communities. In rural areas, PCSOs are so valuable. Police officers don’t have the time for this, whereas PCSOs do.”

A spokesman for the Community Safety Partnership, which was due to meet again yesterday, said: “The issue of PCSO reduction and impact on rural areas has been raised to the CSP.” He added the CSP does not have a formal view on PCSOs other than they are valuable part of the neighbourhood police and community safety teams.

In January, Ms Hernandez announced an extra £24m to increase the number of police offi- cers on the streets, boasting that Devon and Cornwall was one of “the only forces in the country to increase its number of officers”.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said at the time: “The redesign and reprioritisation of our workforce will require us to move some staff from existing roles, such as PCSOs, to other police staff roles, new staff investigation roles or to join up as police officers depending on their career aspirations and suitability.

“The changes made over the coming years will enable us to better connect with our communities, detect and prevent harm, reduce crime, protect the most vulnerable and provide a high quality of service to the public when they need us.”

He added: “Demand on the police is changing. We are still facing threats from organised crime and terrorism and must ensure we maintain and improve our capabilities to deal with this national threat.

“We are also facing the new and emerging threats from international cyber-crime and complex issues such as child sexual exploitation and modern slavery.

“We will be looking to develop our staff to meet these threats and protect the vulnerable.”

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