What are the major differences between CSOs and Neighbourhood Wardens/Street Wardens?
Neighbourhood wardens and street wardens are generally managed by local authorities, while CSOs are police authority employees under the direction and control of the chief constable. CSOs focus on low-level anti-social behaviour, and assist regular officers at crime scenes. They can be given a range of enforcement powers, as set out in Part 1 of Schedule 4 of the Police Reform Act 2002. CSOs are intended to free regular police officers from spending time on tasks that do not require their extensive range of skills.
