Met sacks 122 police support officers for wrongdoing

Police Community Support Officers are 10 times more likely to be sacked for wrongdoing than regular officers, according to new figures.

The statistics, released by the Met, show that 122 PCSOs have been sacked for disciplinary offences in the past five years.

In the same period, 94 police officers were dismissed — a far smaller proportion of their total number.

A total of 31 PCSOs, the largest group, were sacked for inappropriate behaviour or comments, 16 for driving offences including drink driving, 15 for poor performance or attendance and nine for misusing computers.

Other reasons for dismissal included integrity issues (10), theft (five), assault (four) and fare evasion (four).

Insiders say that many support officers who are accused of wrongdoing leave the force voluntarily before they are sacked.

One police officer said: "PCSOs get caught but they don't always get prosecuted, so the real number of corrupt officers is much higher.

"One PCSO was using his police radio when he was off duty to find out when officers were engaged in an incident in the borough — then tipping off some local bad guys that it was a good time to move their drugs, as many officers were attending a big incident elsewhere."

PCSOs were introduced in 2005 by the former home secretary David Blunkett, and the number being sacked has risen steadily in the past three years.

However, sources say that most disciplinary cases involve relatively minor offences.

Following claims last year that PCSOs in Belgravia operated an "apartheid" system, with separate vans for white and ethnic minority officers, Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson launched an inquiry and ordered tighter vetting of would-be officers.

The Met employs 4,615 PCSOs, either in safer neighbourhood teams or on patrol in the government security zone in Whitehall, but government spending cuts could lead to a reduction in numbers.

Islington council is axing 18 support officers and other boroughs are expected to follow suit.

Some PCSOs believe they are coming under greater scrutiny from senior officers looking for ways to save money.

Police Federation chairman Paul McKeever said: "Regardless of what they are paid, the majority of PCSOs will be of impeccable character — but the less you pay, the more chance there is of corruption. You have to choose people who are checked rigorously."

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "It is important to note that as PCSOs are members of police staff the misconduct process is carried out in accordance with employment law."