A PCSO has drawn criticism after being caught on camera refusing to attend an alleged crime just a few hundred yards away.

Footage of the confrontation between the officer and a member of the public in Lancing, West Sussex, on Thursday has been shared widely online.

The man asked the PCSO – parked up in a marked police car – to go to the scene of an alleged shoplifting and assault at a Co-op less than a minute’s drive away.

But the Sussex Police PCSO refused, first saying ‘I’m not a response unit unfortunately’.

When the man told him ‘I know you’re not, but the sight of the car will make them scatter,’ the PCSO replied: ‘Yeah but then I’ll have to deal with it’.

A former Scotland Yard detective has criticised the video, saying incidents like this are the reason trust in the police ‘ebbs away’.

Mike Neville told MailOnline: ‘When you join the police you join to help the community. They have got to be able to deal with emergencies.

‘It’s no good just sitting there. I was appalled.

The officer’s actions have drawn criticism (Picture: YouTube/M1cks)

The alleged incident happened at a Co-op in Lancing, West Sussex (Picture: Google)

‘Why was a PCSO driving a marked police car? Whatever they were doing there, if there’s an emergency police have got to stop and deal with it.

‘Every day the trust ebbs away.

‘The average working person feels they are being let down by the police, and this is just one example.

‘PCSOs are designed for low level crime and to trawl the streets.

‘The presence of a uniform could have defused the situation.

‘The video shows again that the police are not on your side.’

The exchange was caught on a driver’s dash cam (Picture: YouTube/M1cks)

Sussex Police has since apologised for the PCSO’s ‘clumsy language’ in the video and said it was reviewing its response to the incident.

A spokesman for the force said: ‘We are aware of video footage of a single-crewed Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) being approached by a member of the public to report an incident in Lancing.

‘The matter was reported to us and a police officer attended the incident as an emergency.

‘The PCSO also then attended the scene.

‘The investigation into a report of assault and shoplifting is subject of a live investigation, and the victim has been contacted by officers.’

More: Trending

West Sussex local policing Superintendent Nick Dias added: ‘Keeping the public safe and feeling safe is paramount and our officers and PCSOs work hard to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, often in challenging circumstances.

‘We [work] closely with local retailers and partners to help prevent and respond to anti-social behaviour and assaults on shop workers.

‘We are sorry for the clumsy language used by the PCSO in this exchange and acknowledge the public’s concern. 

‘A police unit was dispatched to the scene as a matter of priority. Our response to this incident is being reviewed.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

‘Every day the trust ebbs away. The average working person feels they are being let down by the police, and this is just one example.