Bobbies on the cheap?

Recruiting takes place next week for the new Home Office funded scheme which will see Preston and South Ribble patrolled by 72 new community support officers.

Lancashire will be one of the first forces in the country to employ the officers, who will have a range of powers and provide a uniformed presence on the streets, working alongside special constables, police officers and traffic wardens.

But the scheme has been slammed by the Police Federation union who say the Government should be investing money in more police officers.

Steve Edwards, chairman of the union, said: "We believe it's policing on the cheap.

"Despite the increase in police officers in Lancashire, the number of them who are on front line operational duties is not enough.

"If the Home Office can afford to give us 72 community support officers why can't we have more police officers?"

The new officers' duties will include reporting vandalism and suspicious activity. They will address problems that do not require the powers held by police officers.

Chief Constable Paul Stephenson said: "Ultimately the employment of police community support officers will provide us with additional capacity to meet this demand and deliver a service that our communities expect and rightly deserve."

The community officers will be given full training and will be supervised by police, working primarily with community beat managers. Their salary will be between £12,000 and £14,000 per annum.

Dr Ruth Henig, chair of Lancashire Police Authority, said: "The support that the police community support officers can give to the community beat managers will have a positive impact on our drive to make the streets of Lancashire safer."

Powers of new support officers:

Duties will vary depending on local requirements, but their powers will include:

The issuing of fixed penalty notices;

Confiscation of alcohol and tobacco;

The power of entry to save life or prevent damage;

Power to seize vehicles that cause alarm;

Removal of abandoned vehicles.

In some areas, where local conditions present different anti-social pressures, they will have the power to detain for up to 30 minutes.