ACPO Comment on CSAS

ACPO lead for CSAS, ACC Peter Davies said:

“The Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) allows the chief officer in each force area to decide whether to accredit persons working in a community safety function to exercise certain powers in cooperation with police officers and PCSOs. Accredited persons can be given powers to deal with specific nuisances such as cycling on a footpath, fly-posting and disorder.

“Individuals and companies can apply for accreditation under the scheme to their local force. Where a national company seeks to join the scheme ACPO CPI will accredit them rather than duplicate that work across all the 43 forces in England and Wales. It is important to note that there is no profit element to this process.

“In each and every area the decision to establish any scheme is at the discretion of the local chief officer, depending on local circumstances. These decisions are not and cannot be ordered above the level of each force. The CSAS remains an adjunct to police business but accounts for a tiny fraction of activity. It can play a part in building safer neighbourhoods but it is important that the role of accredited persons remains distinct from that of police officers whose task it is to uphold and enforce the law in all its forms.”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• The ACPO Press Office can be contacted via 020 7084 8946/47/48 (office hours) or via 07803 903686 (out of office hours).

• The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is an independent, professionally led strategic body. In the public interest and, in equal and active partnership with Government and the Association of Police Authorities, ACPO leads and co-ordinates the direction and development of the police service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In times of national need ACPO, on behalf of all chief officers, coordinates the strategic policing response.

• ACPO’s 356 members consist of 261 Chief Police Officers from the Home forces of Assistant Chief Constable rank (Commanders in the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police) and above, plus 74 Senior Police Staff members from the 44 forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Non Home forces such as British Transport Police and States of Jersey Police have 16 Chief Police Officer members.