CUTS IN POLICE SUPPORT OFFICERS CRITICISED
Jason Sugarman, the Conservatives' Parliamentary Spokesman for Lewes, today expressed concern at the Government's decision to abandon a manifesto pledge to recruit 24,000 police community support officers (PCSOs) by March 2008.
He said: 'This means that in Sussex, where the police had been planning for 525 PCSOs by March 2008, there will now only be 354. The cuts in funding mean that Labour has broken its manifesto pledge to "take CSO numbers up to 24,000".
'This comes despite the police levy on council tax across Sussex soaring by 123% since 1997, with further hikes expected this April'.