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A national evaluation of Community Support Officers

Community Support Officers (CSOs) were introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002. There are now over 6,000 CSOs in all 43 Home Office forces and the Government has given a commitment that there will be 24,000 CSOs by 2008. It was expected that CSOs would have a key role to play in the implementation of neighbourhood policing. This report profiles CSOs and assesses their impact on crime and public assurance. Two versions of the report are available: a 136-page research study and a 4-page summary.

Title: A national evaluation of Community Support Officers
Authors: Christine Cooper, Jane Anscombe, Julie Avenell, Fiona McLean, and Julia Morris (Findings: Christine Cooper)
Series: Home Office Research Study 297 (Findings 271)
Number of pages: 136 (4)
Date published: January 2006
Availability: Download full research study PDF 456Kb (Download Findings summary PDF 48Kb)

Key points

  • CSOs spent most of their time in the community through visible patrol and engaging with the community. Much of this time was spent dealing with youth disorder and alcohol related issues.

  • CSOs were seen as more accessible than police officers by some members of the public who were, therefore, more likely to report issues to them that they would not 'trouble' a police officer with. The public was also more likely to pass on information to CSOs.

  • CSOs' activities varied in different areas. This reflected force level and more local priorities.

  • The evaluation found no evidence that CSOs were having a measurable impact on the level of recorded crime or reported incidents of antisocial behaviour in the areas where they were deployed. This may be accounted for by a number of factors including limitations of the data, changes in levels of reporting and the sorts of activities targeted by CSOs.

  • The public valued the role of CSOs. There was strong evidence from two case study are as, where the CSOs were well known by name to the community, that the residents and businesses felt that CSOs had made a real impact in their areas especially in dealing with youth disorder.

  • The diversity of CSOs, particularly in terms of ethnicity and age, has been one of the successes of the implementation of this new role .

  • Over 40% of CSOs said they joined as a stepping stone to becoming a fully sworn police officer.

Conclusion

The evaluation has shown that Community Support Officers (CSOs) were providing a service that was highly valued by the public, businesses and police officers. They have a key role to play in neighbourhood policing and their provision of reassurance and visibility has been welcomed by local communities. The report highlights areas which raised concerns, although many of those identified, for example, training, designation of powers and recruitment standards, are being addressed.

Getting a copy

The report is available in 2 formats: a 4-page findings summary, and a full 136-page research study.

Last update: 07 February 2006

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