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.
