Opinion: ‘We have a duty to protect people’

We have been so focused on the coronavirus and its effects on our health, our economy, and our society, that it’s easy to forget that other things still rumble on. For example, Cambridgeshire Constabulary plans to halve the number of police constabulary support officers (PCSOs).

They also plan to reduce the number of enquiry officers and abolish community safety officers entirely.

I don’t recall the streets of Peterborough being safe enough prior to the pandemic to warrant such reductions. On the contrary, the Labour Group, Unison, and I believe that cuts to law enforcement in recent years should be fully reversed.

The coronavirus outbreak shows how necessary the PCSOs are: fewer of them means less coverage of crime. It also means less support to victims and less interventions in situations which could spiral out of control.

I understand that law enforcement has difficult choices to make; until there is a change of government, they will likely always have to work with straitened budgets. These may become even tighter as time goes on. However, law and order are a fundamental necessity: without them, we don’t have a civil society.

Without the presence of the law, what is to stop the burglar from taking his chance without much fear of the consequences? Who will intervene when there is antisocial behaviour occurring on their street? Without the presence of the law, we become a more frightened society, confined to the fortresses of our homes. Commerce cannot flourish in such a situation, and the ties that bind us together as citizens weaken.

A lack of visible law enforcement hits the poorest in society the hardest: I recall being told last year by a trustee of a charity located in one of the more deprived areas in our city, that kids were once caught in a set of trees lighting a mattress on fire. Emergency services were summoned. Why did the teenagers do this? Apparently, they were bored. This requires earlier interventions, and the authorities having a greater presence.

Many cities have achieved substantial improvements by having law enforcement be more visible; the most prominent example is New York City. Led by Police Commissioner William Bratton, New Yorkers became accustomed to the idea of a “cop on every street corner”. While sometimes these tactics could be heavy handed, nevertheless, the idea of a police force that was present and engaged not only led to those who wished to misbehave thinking twice, it also built-up public confidence. People would go to Times Square to see a film or have dinner, without fear of their wallet being pulled out of their pocket or their purse being snatched. The city prospered; it became a hub for the young, the dynamic, and the entrepreneurialI know first-hand the superb work PCSOs have carried out in my ward. They have always made themselves available. Nothing has been too much trouble and they have always gone above and beyond the call of duty. I cannot praise them enough.

It will be a huge shame to see this vital service reduce because it would be short-sighted to say the lease

The first duty of the state is to protect the people. There is nothing about this programme which makes that goal easier. The Labour Group and I urge Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the Mayor to think again. The costs they think they will save will be far outweighed by the damage that is about to be done.