Extra police officers to patrol Ipswich town centre after fatal stabbing
Additional PCSOs will be on duty in the town centre for at least the next two years
Three police officers will be present in Ipswich town centre for the next two years.
The addition of three police community support officers (PCSOs) comes after the murder of 18-year-old Raymond James Quigley in Westgate Street.
The incident happened at 3.35pm on Tuesday, January 17, and highlighted the need for people to feel safe in the town centre in the daytime as well as the night.
There will be two PCSOs present in the town between 8.00am and 6.00pm every day of the week from next month. Increased police patrols in the centre will continue until the PCSOs are in place.
Leader of Ipswich Borough Council Cllr David Ellesmere, who made the decision to pay for the PCSOs on March 6, said in an update to the council on Wednesday: “This is something we were working on already, informed by reports from the public about feeling safe in the town centre.
“The horrific murder in the town centre in January underlined just how necessary this is.
“The area of operation for PCSOs will be restricted to the town centre and they will not be able to be redeployed elsewhere except in extreme circumstances.
“They will patrol on foot and provide visible reassurance.
“More importantly, they will play a vital role in liaising with members of the public and businesses to gain intelligence about what’s happening in the town centre. PCSOs are rooted in their communities, which they know well.
“I think they will help to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour in the town centre.”
Cllr Ellesmere’s decision to allocate £283,500 from Ipswich’s portion of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to pay for the PCSOs was a ‘special urgency decision’, meaning notice wasn’t given and a meeting wasn’t held beforehand.
The council leader explained on Wednesday that this was to ensure the PCSOs could be in place as soon as possible.
He explained confirmation from the government of UKSPF money came quite late, leading him to authorise council officers to enter a contract with Suffolk police for the PCSOs straight away.
The UKSPF is money given to local areas and is aimed at supporting the government’s “levelling up” agenda.
A mobile police station was stationed on the Cornhill following Raymond James Quigley’s murder.
This has now been removed but additional police patrols will continue until the end of March, before the new PCSOs start their roles at the beginning of April.
The £283,500 funding will be split into £135,000 to be used in 2023/24 and £148,500 in 2024/25.
This update marked the last item Cllr Ellesmere brought to the full council as leader. He will be stepping down after 13 years in the role at May’s local elections.