New armour for PCSOs

Recent stabbings have prompted Greater Manchester Police to issue all of their PCSOs with new body armour, the same protective clothing as regular officers.

Ben Priestly of Unison told the Manchester Evening News: “Community Support Officers are not supposed to be sent to confrontational situations. There is a legal duty on every police force to carry out a risk assessment under health and safety at work regulations on every deployment of PCSOs.

“We do not want to see PCSOs in dangerous situations. We do not want them dealing with public order and high confrontational situations. This is a job for police officers who are properly trained and equipped.”

A spokesman for Greater Manchester confirmed that the move was a simple precaution to protect their officers should they find themselves in confrontational situations.