TOWN councillors could ditch Police Community Support Officers to pay for private security patrols instead in a bid to save cash.

Frinton and Walton Town Council has paid Essex Police towards the provision of PCSOs in its area since the role was launched in 2004.

The council has been told the cost of supplying six PCSOs next year would be £233,754.

But councillors will debate alternatives to funding the officers at a meeting tonight, including an option of paying for private security firms to patrol the town council area.

Initial quotes from five security firms revealed the cost for the year could be just £172,326.

Frinton councillor Nick Turner praised the towns PCSOs but said the council must show due diligence by looking at alternative options.

“Our PCSOs have been wonderful over the years,” he said.

“Frinton was under siege from visitors during the summer period and the community support officers did a superb job at keeping order.

“But with constant changes in command and changes in the way the force are going about policing, they are being pulled from pillar to post - it’s not their fault

“We are spending an awful lot of public money on doing a job that the police should be doing.

“The cost of providing a PCSOs has also crept up over the year and we will be paying £40,000 for each one to be supplied.

“We would not be doing our job if we did not look around.

“I don’t think we have done that due diligence.

“There are lots of pros and cons - and many people are wedded to the idea of PCSOs.

“But Frinton Beach Hut Association has patrols by a private security company and they have been a success.”

A town council report said the benefits of a private firm include that they would spend the majority of the time patrolling neighbourhoods rather than being office based or undertaking administrative roles and that they would be following the council’s priorities.

But it added that experienced PCSOs provide an established service and are very responsive to local requests, and can also call on the “massive” resources of Essex Police

But the officers are occasionally deployed outside the town council area and are subject to police service procedure that “appear inflexible”.

The report added that any security patrol would need to be certified by the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) if they are to enforce any by-laws.

The council said it could also look to fund Community Enforcement Officers, who would be employed by Tendring Council. Essex Police declined to comment before the town council had made its decision.