Kings Langley PCSO to use bus after cutbacks take away his car

12:43pm Wednesday 3rd October 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Rebecca Perring, Reporter

The police community support officer in Kings Langley will in future have to ride the bus around the village because his car has been withdrawn due to funding cuts.

Ian Martin, Neighbourhood Safety Team Officer for the village, raised his concerns after it was announced he would lose access to his PCSO car because of cutbacks.

At the Kings Langley parish council meeting yesterday (Tuesday) Mr Martin, said: "Although it means I am likely to have more presence in the village, it sadly means I will not be able to patrol keys areas like Barnes Lane and Langley Lodge Lane.

"I am now walking and catching the bus around the village."

Recently there have been complaints from residents who suspect youngsters are taking drugs in Barnes Lane and there has been a total of 21 drug-related crimes in the village since the beginning of the year.

Gerry Angiolini, parish councillor, said: "This is appalling. There are areas in Kings Langley which are impossible to get to on foot. It’s laughable and I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard.”

Comments(22)

Nick Lincoln says...
12:59pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Another example of the insanity that comes from the top down in this country.

We can't afford a car for a (quasi) policeman but we can, for example, afford to give bucket loads of aid to India, a country with an economy that will soon make ours look even more pathetic than it already is.

You couldn't make this stuff up.

It's time for a sea change in this country. Something's got to give. The traditional political parties offer us absolutely nothing but more of the same crud that got us in this mess.

Who will YOU vote for?

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TRT says...
1:39pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Have we seen RegEdit's real moniker?

Also... get him a scooter instead.

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dontknowynot says...
2:04pm Wed 3 Oct 12

@TRT nope but they both are UKIP candidates or have been, but then again maybe.

Re the scooter good idea or maybe just cheap cars like the Suzuki alto or even doing a deal for leasing ex rental or motability cars.

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OAC Bailiff says...
3:25pm Wed 3 Oct 12

whats this world coming to give the pcso his car back or bionic legs because hes going to need them i just cant believe it ive heard it all now

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PhilCox says...
3:25pm Wed 3 Oct 12

If you are doing policing then you have to take it seriously and do it properly.

This Blunkett's bobby now knows exactly how much he is valued by the government for the job he is doing.

Let's get rid of the fake bobbies and employ real police to do a real police job, then let's give them the resources they need to do their job properly.

Finally, let's get a message to the courts that we want criminals like burglars, robbers and muggers locked up.

This story in the WO sounds like the plot of a comedy, including the bit where the fake policeman writes in the local newspaper all the places where it is now safe to commit crimes because he can't get there by bus. Could you make it up? I don't think so!

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thomas.howard says...
3:41pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Am I missing something? Are the areas the PCSO cant patrol inaccessible on foot?

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highhigh says...
4:22pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I would like to know why these areas are inaccessible on foot. Unfortunately we are all having to accept cuts made by public authorities. Seems like a few lazy people have become a tad to comfortable

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TRT says...
4:27pm Wed 3 Oct 12

I don't think it is that they are inaccessible on foot, otherwise the youngsters taking drugs wouldn't be there, but they may be in an area half-a-mile or more up a muddy track which could add an extra 20-30 minutes to the patrol time and mean that the beat has to be foreshortened some other way. Travel faster and you cover more ground. What's the point of spending a sixth of a shift checking a country lane between two fields twice (once up, once down)?

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thomas.howard says...
4:33pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Whats the point in making excuses about how long it take to get somewhere if the intelligence suggests your more likely to nick someone there. All theyre there for is patrolling, the real police respond to emergencies.

There are no two points in Kings Langley you cant get to by bicycle in less than 20mins.

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TRT says...
4:36pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Ok then. How about you check it once a day, or you can pop in and check it three times?

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highhigh says...
4:58pm Wed 3 Oct 12

20-30 minutes to walk a half mile or so...how slow are these people walking? Probably a good thing they dont have too much interaction with the 'drug taking hoodies' they would simply walk off at normal pace

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TRT says...
5:08pm Wed 3 Oct 12

*sigh* Yes, very good highhigh... I take it that you think it's fine to withdraw a vehicle from a serving officer without expecting a reduction in their performance? I was just making a point anyway.
Half-a-mile one way, then half-a-mile back, making a mile in total. At 5 mph, you take 12 minutes to cover a mile. Down a muddy lane/footpath, you could be travelling at a fraction of that speed.
Barnes Lane is a long old road in the middle of nowhere without a footpath. How do you patrol such a remote area efficiently? Yes, you could also do it on a bicycle. Do these community officers also attend events where they need to give out leaflets or carry other equipment?

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highhigh says...
5:09pm Wed 3 Oct 12

TRT wrote:
Ok then. How about you check it once a day, or you can pop in and check it three times?
Pay me to do so and i will. I also want the benefits of free tea and coffee for having a presence in the shops

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highhigh says...
5:11pm Wed 3 Oct 12

TRT wrote:
Ok then. How about you check it once a day, or you can pop in and check it three times?
Pay me to do so and i will. I also want the benefits of free tea and coffee for having a presence in the shops

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TRT says...
5:15pm Wed 3 Oct 12

So glad to hear that you are going to apply for a position as a PCSO, highhigh.

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Sanity 750 says...
5:16pm Wed 3 Oct 12

Bobbies back on the beat, what a good idea.

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OAC Bailiff says...
5:23pm Wed 3 Oct 12

i just hope they dont expect too much from him give him a nice crosser motorbike hel do it in no time

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highhigh says...
5:38pm Wed 3 Oct 12

TRT wrote:
*sigh* Yes, very good highhigh... I take it that you think it's fine to withdraw a vehicle from a serving officer without expecting a reduction in their performance? I was just making a point anyway.
Half-a-mile one way, then half-a-mile back, making a mile in total. At 5 mph, you take 12 minutes to cover a mile. Down a muddy lane/footpath, you could be travelling at a fraction of that speed.
Barnes Lane is a long old road in the middle of nowhere without a footpath. How do you patrol such a remote area efficiently? Yes, you could also do it on a bicycle. Do these community officers also attend events where they need to give out leaflets or carry other equipment?
Whether i think its fine is a different story.The point is that it has happened....Not necessarily a reduction in performance,officers will just have to target areas of the community which need support or patrolling. Can we not think outside the box? Perhaps a backpack for leaflets? Or is that not in the job description?

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highhigh says...
5:40pm Wed 3 Oct 12

OAC Bailiff wrote:
i just hope they dont expect too much from him give him a nice crosser motorbike hel do it in no time
Bit of exercise doesnt hurt anyone

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LSC says...
12:29am Thu 4 Oct 12

He is only a PCSO. If he ever does find anyone committing a crime he needs to ring the real police just like the rest of us to actually sort it out.

PCSOs are mostly well-meaning community minded people and they have my respect for that. But they are no substitute for a properly trained copper.

Yes, they are great for traffic direction when there is an accident, or standing outside a crime scene keeping people away. But chasing down druggies in remote places?

No.

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Home Truths says...
8:34am Thu 4 Oct 12

give him a bicycle, problem solved.

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dontknowynot says...
2:59pm Thu 4 Oct 12

Even the most modest of cars is of distinct advantage, it can carry things like traffic cones, first aid kit as well as providing much quicker and more efficient transportation, its a no brainier the guy needs a cheap car C1 1io Alto yaris something like that and if you want to save more money make it a leased ex hire/courtesy car.

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