10/08/2009 jobs 24
Civilians including security guards and housing workers are increasingly being handed police-style powers as part of a Home Office scheme. Is this an ingenious way of extending the police family or the first step towards private police forces? Crime correspondent BEN KENDALL reports.
First there were police officers then came police community support officers. Now a third-tier of policing is gradually being introduced - one which sees private firms joining the “police family”.
It comes at a time when many police forces are cutting the number of bobbies on the beat - although in Norfolk the force now has more officers than ever.
But for the rank and file it represents a further erosion of the traditional role of constables while magistrates fear it is symptomatic of the growing trend of dispensing justice in the street rather than the courtroom.
There are 50 accredited individuals in Norfolk and half of these work for Norwich-based security firm EventGuard, owned by Norse Group, a private firm wholly owned by Norfolk County Council. Other security firms hope to gain accreditation soon.
Managing director Nigel Briggs is keen to extend the firms involvement in police functions. He said: “I wouldn't want to see it go as far as it has in some parts of America where the police and private security are so closely integrated that it is difficult to tell the difference - I wouldn't go for handcuffing powers or powers of arrest.
“But I do see scope for this to develop, for example by providing routine patrols for private clients.”
He acknowledges the reaction among police officers has been mixed: “It's a very similar to the attitude they have to PCSOs - they either love us or hate us.”
The Home Office Community Safety Accreditation Scheme grants chief constables the power to issue limited powers to carefully vetted individuals. Like the introduction of PCSOs, the scheme is open to accusations of policing on the cheap - in fact forces make money from it as they are allowed to charge for training and annual subscriptions.
