Police investigate after PCSO avoids crime scene because 'then I'll have to deal with it'

Police are investigating an incident that saw a PCSO in a police patrol car say he would not attend an incident less than a minute away because "then I have to deal with it".

Footage posted to TikTok shows a driver approaching a marked police vehicle and telling the police community support officer that he needed to attend the nearby Co-Op supermarket because "there's just been a fight round there".

"People are trying to stop shoplifters that you're doing nothing about," the driver told the PCSO. "There's a member of the public just been assaulted by a 15-year-old girl that's drunk, had a drink thrown in her face, got punched.

"People have called the police, we come round here and you're just sitting here."

When the PCSO told the driver he was "not a response unit", the driver suggested he take the car round anyway to encourage the perpetrators to "scatter", but was told "but then I have to deal with it".

The incident, in Lancing, a coastal village in West Sussex, was widely shared on social media and has prompted police to look into the matter.

In a statement, Sussex Police told Yahoo News: "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.

"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."

In reporting of the incident, Good Morning Britain retraced the route the patrol car would have had to take – finding it was a 26-second journey.

Read more: Drunk Met Police officer who swore at e-scooter rider and got into a fight is dismissed

West Sussex Superintendent Nick Dias said: “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. A police unit was dispatched to the scene as a matter of priority. Our response to this incident is being reviewed.”

Can PCSOs arrest you?

While PCSOs are in a role that "avoids high-risk activity and places no duty on them to engage in risk beyond their levels of training", they do have some police powers, according to the College of Policing.

A PCSO can stop and detain someone for 30 minutes, although they are not permitted to search them. They are also allowed to use reasonable force to detain people if necessary.

However, the majority of the PCSO role is in community support, de-escalating behaviour until police officers are able to attend a scene, and tackling anti-social behaviour.

PCSOs do not have the power to arrest people, carrying out searches, investigate crime and deal with potentially dangerous situations.