PSS - press release

Monday September 9 2002
Help for hard-pressed police chiefs

The expertise-deficit currently affecting the nation's police service could soon become a thing of the past.

Policing Support Services (PSS) is a new company that has been established to help chief officers balance the loss of expertise and experience with increasing demand.

For some years this crucial resource has been lost to policing through retirement, restructuring and other wastage. As a result, many chief officers are facing the growing demands of society and Parliament with increasing numbers of young, enthusiastic but inexperienced officers.

To help deal with the dilemma, the Surrey-based company will offer police forces throughout the country the opportunity to benefit from the knowledge of former experienced police officers and civilian staff.

They will be able to offer extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas where chief officers have most demand, which do not require exercising the powers of a constable.

Their diverse skills will include taking statements, helping to resource major incident teams, conducting case reviews, manning local intelligence offices, crime scene management and scenes of crime work.

By tackling specific issues and helping to clear possible back-logs of work, they will also help reduce the administrative burden.

Crucially, PSS will enable senior officers to release more and more officers to frontline duty.

Policing Support Services Limited is part of the Capital Eye Group which was formed by former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Peter, now Lord Imbert QPM JP, who is PSS's chairman. He said:

"Policing is becoming ever more diverse and the demands of providing for a safe society are proving a major challenge for chief officers both in metropolitan and rural areas.

"Coupled with this, in recent years we have seen a great migration of expertise and experience from policing and from the civilian staff who support policing," said Lord Imbert.

"Undoubtedly, high skills levels still exist within the national policing body but one gains the impression they are spread ever more thinly to meet increasing demand.

"What we at PSS are doing is encouraging former officers and civilians to come forward and offer their expertise to be used at the heart of where they are needed.

"Capital Eye has been involved in running and supporting police projects outside the UK for a number of years and will bring all of these project management skills to bear in this business - for the benefit of the police service, the individual operatives whose expertise we offer and, we trust, society as a whole.

"For the police service this will help to close the expertise deficit and enable officers to be released for frontline duty, whilst former officers will have the opportunity of earning their fee whilst offering invaluable support to their former colleagues," he said.