Sussex Police respond to allegations that PCSO refused to attend shoplifting incident

In a video posted on TikTok, a member of the public asked a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) to deal with reports of violence at a Co-op store in Lancing on Thursday (June 29).

It was alleged that staff had been assaulted by teenagers during a shoplifting incident and the man said the sight of the police car would ‘make them scatter’.

The officer said responding to the scene would mean ‘I have to deal with it’ but ‘I'm not a response unit unfortunately’.

Sussex Police has since issued a statement.

"We are aware of video footage of a single-crewed Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) being approached by a member of the public to report an incident in Lancing,” a spokesperson said.

"The matter was reported to us and a police officer attended the incident as an emergency. The PCSO also then attended the scene.

“The investigation into a report of assault and shoplifting is subject of a live investigation, and the victim has been contacted by officers.”

West Sussex local policing Superintendent Nick Dias said a police unit was dispatched to the scene ‘as a matter of priority’, whilst its response to this incident ‘is being reviewed’.

He added: “Keeping the public safe and feeling safe is paramount and our officers and PCSOs work hard to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, often in challenging circumstances. We work closely with local retailers and partners to help prevent and respond to anti-social behaviour and assaults on shop workers.

“We are sorry for the clumsy language used by the PCSO in this exchange and acknowledge the public’s concern.”

Adur and Worthing Police revealed on Monday evening that officers will be in the Asda car park in South Street, Lancing, at 11am tomorrow (Tuesday, July 4).

Police said there will be an hour-long ‘community meeting’, adding: “Please feel free to come along.”

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