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This is the moment a Sussex Police PCSO refused to attend an alleged assault just seconds away – telling a member of the public who approached him for help ‘but then I’ll have to deal with it’.
A local resident approached an officer parked up on a street in Lancing to report an alleged incident at a nearby Co-op store just 200-300 yards away.
He claimed there had been a fight sparked by people trying to stop shoplifters – with a member of the public attacked – and asked the police officer to get to the scene.
But the officer told him he was not part of a response unit and appeared to refuse to deal with the incident.
The exchange on Thursday was recorded on a dashcam and quickly shared on TikTok. Police say they are investigating the actions of their colleague and apologised for the ‘clumsy language used by the PCSO’.
A former Scotland Yard Detective has since hit out at Sussex Police – saying the incident was a ‘dreadful look’ for the force and that an officer wearing a uniform and in a marked car should have dealt with the disturbance ‘and actually done what they are paid to do.’
‘I’m not a response unit unfortunately,’ a police officer is heard saying in footage shared online
The officer was parked up on a street just 200-300 yards from a Co-op store
Good Morning Britain, who reported on the incident, said it took them 26 seconds to make the journey the police officer would have had to make
The officer is heard telling a member of the public asking for help ‘then I’ll have to deal with it’
In footage of the incident, a witness is heard telling the officer: ‘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.
‘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.
‘People have called the police, we’ve come round here and you’re sitting here.’
But the police officer told him: ‘I’m not a response unit unfortunately.’
The member of the public then says: ‘I know you’re not, but the sight of the car will make them scatter. ‘
The police officer then replies: ‘Yeah but then I’ll have to deal with it.’
‘Are you afraid to deal with it then,’ the man asks the officer, who tells him: ‘That’s not the point.’
But the member of the public is far from impressed and tells him: ‘It kind of is the point, that’s the perception.’
The officer then says: ‘It’s why I’m here and not round there.’
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’
Sussex Police are investigating a report of shoplifting and an alleged assault at the Co-op in Lancing on Thursday June 29
Good Morning Britain, who reported on the incident, said it took them 26 seconds to make the journey the police officer would have had to make from where he was parked up to the Co-op.
A spokesman from Sussex Police told MailOnline: ‘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 said: ‘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.
‘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.’
Speaking out about the incident, Peter Bleksley, former Scotland Yard Detective, told GMB: ‘They are wearing a police uniform, they are in a marked vehicle. They are supposed to be there as a presence in communities.
‘This is crime being committed in their community.
‘That officer most definitely should have responded or at the very least, got on the radio and got another unit to go and attend this incident.
‘This cuts across the whole trust in the police which as we know is tanking and this police community support officer in this case, in my opinion, clearly came way way short of what we should expect from them.’
He added: ‘In my opinion, that officer should have attended this disturbance, dealt with any crime being reported and actually done what they are paid to do.
‘These officers get paid out of the public purse, they are there to reassure communities, to build bridges with communities and to say “if I had to deal with it” or words to that effect “it’s not my job” is quite frankly appalling.
‘This is the real core problem with policing in 2023. The moderate majority of your viewers feel that they are let down by the police. Their burglaries are not investigated, when their car gets broken into or stolen it is not investigated – and that is how the moderate majority usually engage with police – whether it be a police constable or a community support officer.’
He described it as a ‘dreadful look for Sussex Police’ and policing in a wider context.
