LANCASHIRE'S chief constable Paul Stephenson today pledged to use a £1million windfall to help make more communities 'places where people want to live again.'
The government has awarded the cash to the county's police force to help fund 72 newly-created posts for community support officers.
The new recruits will have a limited range of powers to support regular police officers and, it is hoped, will provide a visible and accessible uniformed presence to offer greater public reassurance.
Under the scheme, their powers will include the ability to:
Issue fixed penalty notices for incidents such as dog fouling and litter
Confiscate alcohol and tobacco as well as the seizure of vehicles
Remove abandoned vehicles
Enter properties to save life or prevent damage
Detain people for up to 30 minutes.
It has not yet been decided where the new officers will be based, or which areas they will serve but the posts, which offer pay of £12-£14,000 a year, will be advertised later this week.
Mr Stephenson said: "We will tailor the powers each officer has to the needs of the area. In some cases, it might be that the power to detain is necessary but some other communities might not want that.
"These officers will back up our community beat managers to help tackle the issues which might appear minor to some people, but can be the difference between recognising an area as somewhere other people want to keep living in.
"The aim is to make sure they have maximum impact in communities.
"It isn't a case of freeing officers to work on other things. It is a chance for them to be supported and for people to see a uniformed-presence on the streets more often, which is what a lot of people want to see."
The £1million will fund the scheme in its first year and assurances have been given by the Home Office that the project will continue to be funded in future years as well.
Lancashire's allocation was the third highest in the country, something Mr Stephenson attributes to his force's "high ambitions."
Ruth Henig, chairman of the Lancashire Police Authority, said: "We welcome this announcement, as one of our priority areas is to see more uniforms on the streets.
"The support that theses officers can give to the community beat managers will have a positive impact in our drive to make the streets of Lancashire safer."
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