Accredited Community Safety Officers

As part of Hampshire County Council's commitment to building strong and safe communities, Accredited Community Safety Officers (ACSOs) patrol the streets to combat low level crime and anti-social behaviour.

Hampshire is the first county council to directly employ its own police accredited community safety officers.

The ACSOs have numerous powers which include the following:

• The power to request the name and address of offenders
• The power to confiscate alcohol and cigarettes from young people who are under age
• The power to request the removal of abandoned vehicles

In general the ACSOs give advice and issue warnings first, but where appropriate they will issue fixed penalty notices for behaviour that causes injury, alarm and distress to another person or damage to another person's property this includes for littering, fly-tipping, graffiti and cycling on a footpath.

The ACSOs can be contacted by telephone on 0845 600 1747 or by email community.safety@hants.gov.uk

To learn more about the ACSOs and Hampshire County Council's Community Safety Service please refer to the related web links.