Shameful moment PCSO refuses to respond to an assault just 200 yards away… because he ‘didn't want to deal with it’ | The Sun
THIS is the shameful moment a Sussex Police PCSO refused to go to an assault – even though it was just 200 yards away.
The officer was parked on the side of a road in Lancing, West Sussex, on Thursday as an assault happened 26 seconds away outside a nearby Co-op.
Footage showed how a driver approached the marked police vehicle before winding down his window.
They told the officer about the "disturbance" at the Co-op store, asking him to rush to the scene.
He said bystanders had called 999 but cops hadn't yet arrived.
The driver said: "You need to get around to the Co-op. Honestly, there's just been a fight around there because people are trying to stop the shoplifters that you're doing nothing about.
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"There's a member of the public that's just been assaulted by a 15-year-old girl who's drunk, had a drink thrown in her face, got punched."
But the officer appeared to refuse to attend the incident, MailOnline reports.
He was heard replying: "'I'm not a response unit unfortunately."
The witness then told the PCSO: "'I know you're not, but the sight of the car will make them scatter. "
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But he answered: "Yeah but then I'll have to deal with it."
The motorist subsequently drove away from the officer before the exchange was shared on TikTok.
Police Community Support Officers work with police and share some, but not all, of their powers.
PCSOs do not have the power of arrest, though they may ask a police officer to detain an individual.
Their powers are limited to things such as issuing fixed penalty notices, demanding the name and address of being someone being anti-social and taking alcohol off a person aged under 18.
Sussex Police has confirmed it is investigating the the incident and apologised for the PCSO's "clumsy language".
A spokesman from Sussex Police said: "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."
West Sussex local policing Superintendent Nick Dias added: "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 closely with local retailers and partners to help prevent and respond to anti-social behaviour and assaults on shop workers.
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"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."
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