Reading University cuts police support funding

Reading University is pulling out of a deal to part-fund five police community support officers based on its campuses.

The university said it needed to make significant savings and would stop paying half the cost of three full-time and two part-time PCSOs. The deal with police has been going for two years but will end on 7 November.

In a statement, the University said: "In light of the University's need to make significant savings over the next few years in all aspects of its operations, it will not be taking up the option of extending the two-year PCSO scheme, which has seen the PCSOs base themselves on campus. Instead, we will revert to the previous working arrangement, which also worked well, liaising with PCSOs and police officers based in the local community."

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