PCSOs are trained to be the 'eyes and ears' of the police

Twelve new police community support officers (PCSOs) will patrol Kensington and Chelsea from Thursday.

London's PCSOs, usually funded by the Metropolitan Police, have no powers of arrest but can detain suspects.

Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown said by paying for its own officers, the borough was "investing directly in tackling the concerns of residents".

In January, 15 London boroughs were given police-funded PCSOs who were intended to focus on community offences such as graffiti and litter.

But plans by the home secretary to allow householders to band together to buy their own PCSOs were criticised by the Police Federation this month.

Pushing back boundaries

It said it would cause confusion about who was in charge of policing adding it had yet to be proven that PCSOs had any impact on crime levels.

Kensington and Chelsea's existing PCSOs have reported 106 graffiti scrawls, 195 "suspicious activities" and 138 untaxed cars in Earl's Court alone since April.

"PCSOs are the extra eyes and ears of the Metropolitan Police and although they don't take the place of police officers, they complement both the work of the police and the council's own community safety efforts," said Mr Paget-Brown.

"We are proud to be showing the way and working with the police in pushing back the boundaries between the police's work and our own priorities."