Police Community Support Officers in Surrey cut by 37%.

The number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) on Surrey’s  streets has fallen dramatically since 2021

Analysis of new Home Office statistics commissioned by the Liberal Democrats from the House of Commons Library has shown the drastic cuts to PCSOs in Surrey.

There were a total of 88 full-time equivalent PCSOs in Surrey in September 2022. This is in stark contrast to the 140 that were employed in March 2021- meaning there have been 52 PCSOs cut from Surrey Police Force in just 18 months  - a 37% reduction.

These savage cuts come on top of the closure in recent years of 20 Surrey police stations - four of them within Esher and Walton.

Meanwhile, recent figures show an 80% increase in burglaries in Surrey between July and November last year.

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservative Government of letting communities in Surrey down by taking so many Police Community Support Officers off the streets, leading to more crimes going unsolved and victims going without justice.

The same trend is being seen up and down the country, with the number of active PCSOs falling by an average of 33% in England and Wales since 2015. Nationally, England and Wales have lost 4,068 PCSOs since 2015.

Monica Harding has slammed the Conservatives for this move, which means that there is less police presence on the streets, building relationships - and trust - with local people. The party has called for a return to proper community policing.

Responding to the figures, Monica Harding, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Esher and Walton, said:

“These figures show that Conservatives no longer see fighting crime as a priority.

“Police Community Support Officers play an important role in keeping our communities safe. The Government should be empowering them to do their job, not slashing their numbers into oblivion.”

“Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and known personally to local people. We will build communities where people are safe - and feel safe, too.”