A growing army of private security guards and town hall snoopers
with sweeping police-style powers is being quietly established, the
Daily Mail can reveal.
Under a Home Office-run scheme, people such as park wardens, dog wardens,
car park attendants and shopping centre guards receive the powers
if they undergo training, and pay a small fee to their local police
force.
Their powers include issuing £60 fines for truancy and dropping
litter, and being able to demand a person's name and address on the
street.
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Under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme, the number of civilians
wearing a special badge, and a uniform approved by the local chief
constable, has rocketed by almost 30 per cent in a year and there
are now 1,406.
Critics claim Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is quietly seeking to create
a third-tier within the 'policing family', with even less training
and accountability than the controversial Police Community Support
Officers.
