Police Community Support Officers (PCSO)
British Transport Police are the only special police force that employ Police Community Support Officers (PCSO). The BTP started recruiting PCSOs on 13 December 2004. They mostly work in the force's Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs). Unlike most other forces, BTP is one of only two forces to issue their PCSOs handcuffs, the other being North Wales Police (Heddlu Gogledd Cymru). This is in addition to leg restraints. The issuing of handcuffs to PCSOs has been controversial. BTP PCSOs also enjoy generally more powers than their counterparts in other forces. As of May 2012 BTP had 326 PCSOs. Although BTP police's in Scotland it does not have any PCSOs in Scotland due to limitations of the Police Reform Act 2002, the law that empowers PCSOs which does not extend to Scotland. Although unlike police officers there is no formal transfer process BTP is known to often attract PCSOs already serving in other police forces.
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