I'll be honest, I didn't know the distinction either (although maybe I've got an excuse, being Scottish and apparently PCSOs are only in England and Wales). Don't know the Scottish equivalent, if there is one, either, mind you.thirdcrank wrote: ↑27 Jul 2021, 4:27pmFormer Home Secretary, Charles Clarke came up with the named officer thing although he used the term "Bobby" but the rest of what he said made it clear he meant PCSO. There are people with that type of knowledge but IME they are rare.(Boris Johnson) said plans for a named police officer for every neighbourhood would ensure that victims of crime could speak to someone who understood the local area.
"What you need is somebody who understands what's going on in your neighbourhood, who understands who the likely miscreants are, who understands whether the thing you are reporting - the crime that you are experiencing - is a one-off or part of a trend," he said.
Loosely related: I got checked by a police officer I know for referring to a police officer as a Bobby. His wife, who was sitting next to him, wasn't having it, though - she said, "He was a Piglet when I first met him and he's a Pig now."