Civilian staff to investigate crimes in drive to get more police on beat

Published on Saturday 22 March 2008 09:35

TEAMS of specially trained civilian staff are reportedly set to investigate crimes such as vandalism, housebreaking and car theft as part of a new Scottish Government scheme.

Under the 250,000 initiative, "investigative assistants" will carry out door-to-door inquiries and interviews to help solve crimes and free up frontline officers. The scheme is being piloted from next month in Falkirk, where it is expected to free up ten per cent of the force's frontline officers over the next 12 months. If successful, it could be rolled out across the rest of the country next year.

The new Priority Crime Unit will deal with crimes including housebreaking and fireraising, and is expected to tackle around 3500 incidents over the next year. Experienced police officers are expected to log calls from members of the public before deciding which cases will be dealt with by the civilian teams.

Andrew Cameron, chief constable of Central Scotland Police, today reportedly said: "We have identified that when you are investigating these crimes, around 65 per cent of the work does not require the powers of a police officer.

"It is not just about building up more capacity by taking away the administrative chores, it is about trying to make sure that the skill sets we have are used to their best potential.

"This is a first in Scotland. If other chief constables can be persuaded, we believe this will lead to more community officers on the frontline and a much better quality of service to victims."

The civilian investigators are expected to be paid around 22,000 per year and will not be required to wear a uniform.

They have also already undergone an intensive three-week training programme.