NO additional money is to be made available by St Albans District Council to fund Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) even though two villages have been hit by cutbacks. The council s cabinet agreed on Tuesday that it would not waiver from its decisi

NO additional money is to be made available by St Albans District Council to fund Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) even though two villages have been hit by cutbacks.

The council's cabinet agreed on Tuesday that it would not waiver from its decision not to fund PCSOs in the district.

But it is calling on the police to review its allocation of PCSOs in individual wards and recognise that there are geographical problems with linking some of them, particularly villages.

Redbourn and Wheathampstead are currently sharing a PCSO following the resignation of the officer in Redbourn. Earlier this year police asked their parish councils to contribute £7,500 each per annum if they wanted to continue with a PCSO in each village. Wheathampstead has agreed to pay but Redbourn has yet to make a decision.

The PCSO issue was raised at a full meeting of the district council in January because of the concern about lack of policing in rural areas and the need for all wards to have a designated PCSO.

Leader of the council Robert Donald pointed out at cabinet that the district already contributed to the fight against crime by its use of CCTV, its work with community safety and its involvement with a scheme which uses parking attendants to identify and report street crimes while they are working.

Cllr Chris Oxley represents Wheathampstead and described the police decision to expect local councils to pay towards PCSOs as anti-democratic and said it was totally and utterly unreasonable.