Ever thought about becoming a Police Officer when you leave school/college? Think you’d be good at talking to people in a community? Then the role of a PCSO could be for you…
The role of a PCSO is all about communication and building good relationships with the public. They have distinctive blue uniform which is similar to a regular Police Officer but enables them to stand out so the public know who they are.
They provide advice and information to the public about issues effecting their area. PCSOs can take witness statements from members of the public and can give evidence in court if necessary but cannot arrest individuals.
What skills and qualifications do you need to be a PCSO?
This is important because a PCSO will need to be prepared to deal with all sorts of different people from all sorts of different backgrounds.
PCSO's have to be capable of working alone and using their initiative because, for much of the time, they will be expected to work on their own.
It is also important that a PCSO can work as part of a team as they will have to share information with other PCSOs and Police Officers and may have to work closely with them at big events like a football match for example.
It is useful to have a full clean driving licence, but it is important that the PCSO isn't worried about being out on patrol in all weathers because a lot of their work is done on foot.