Corporate report

Standard powers and duties of police community support officers (PCSOs)

Home Office circular 033 / 2007 Standard powers and duties of police community support officers (PCSOs) Broad subject: Police service …

This was published under the 2005 to 2010 Labour government

Documents

Annex PCSO Standard Powers Circular (final) (Microsoft Word file - 119kb)

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Details

Home Office circular 033 / 2007

Standard powers and duties of police community support officers (PCSOs)

  • Broad subject: Police service
  • Issue date: Tue Nov 13 00:00:00 GMT 2007
  • From:
    Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group (CRCSG) - Policing Policy and Operations, Police Powers and Protection Unit (PPPU)
  • Linked circulars:
    No linked circulars
  • Copies sent to:
    Clerks to the Police Authorities, The Chief Clerk of the Crown Court, The Chief Crown Prosecutor, The Circuit Administrator, The Clerk to the Justices, The Court Administrator, The Director of Public Prosecutions, The Justices’ Clerks’ Society, The Law Society, The General Council of the Bar, The Institute of Legal Executives.

  • Sub category: Community policing, operational policing
  • Implementation date: Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 GMT 2007
  • For more info contact:

Neil Curtis

Tel: 020 7035 0881

  • Addressed to:
    Chief Officers of Police (England and Wales)

Dear Chief Officer,

Parliament approved the Order introducing standard powers for all PCSOs on 25 October 2007. The ‘Police Reform Act 2002 (Standard Powers and Duties of Community Support Officers) Order 2007’ (SI 2007/3202) comes into force on 1 December 2007.

  1. Section 38A of the Police Reform Act (PRA) 2002 provides that the Secretary of State may introduce a list of standard powers that apply to all PCSOs in England and Wales. The list of standard powers as set out in SI 2007/3202 completed the required statutory consultation process. The contents of the list ensure that all PCSOs have appropriate powers to support the delivery of Neighbourhood Policing and deal with low-level antisocial behaviour and disorder.

  2. Chief officers retain the ability to designate PCSOs with any of the remaining discretionary powers that may be designated upon a PCSO under Schedule 4 to the PRA.

  3. The full list of powers (broken down into standard powers, discretionary powers and powers to issue Penalty Notices for Disorder under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001) and further guidance on implementation can be found in the Annex of this circular.

**Alan Brown
**Head of Police Powers and Procedures
Police Powers and Protection Unit

Attachments

Published 13 November 2007