A woman has reportedly told how she was “punched in the head” by a suspected shoplifter and slammed a police officer after seeing footage of him refusing to help.
The PCSO - who is seen parked up in marked police car - is told about a fight at a Co-Op store in Lancing, West Sussex, less than 300 yards away.
He responds: "But then I'll have to deal with it."
The officer tells the witness - who pulled up alongside his car to inform him of a fight sparked by people trying to stop shoplifters - he is not part of a response unit.
And now the woman who was attacked, Rohany, 41, has told how she was alleged punched and had a drink thrown at her by a 15-year-old at the shop.
Rohany claims that she saw teenagers stealing from the Co-Op and “felt sorry for the security guard who was struggling and getting all sorts of physical and verbal abuse”.
She told the Mail: “'I rang 999 from my mobile and told the girl as she came out of the store that I would film her so the police would know who she is. She was drinking a can of Malibu and she threw it at me and then as she got nearer she started punching me in the head.”
Rohany said how she didn’t want to be too physical with the teenager but at the same time needed to defend herself and so pushed and kicked her away.
It was at this point that other people intervened and Rohany said that the girl then walked off, possibly to a field where she alleges youths hang out and drink alcohol.
Following the attack she was left with bruising to her face and cuts to her hands.
She reportedly said that crime in the UK is getting worse with police “reluctant” to get involved and stop it.
Rohany added: “I've seen the clip of that PCSO refusing to help and he should've done more. If he couldn't have gone there himself, would it not have been useful to radio his colleagues and make sure they were aware of what had happened? I think it's this attitude which is enabling criminals to operate with impunity in this area.”
The officer's response is now being reviewed by Sussex Police, which also apologised for his "clumsy language".
The exchange took place on Thursday - despite the dashcam footage stating a date of June 5, 2017 - and was shared on TikTok.
In the video, the witness is heard telling the officer: "You need to get around to the Co-op. Honestly, there's just been a fight around there because people are trying to stop the shoplifters that you're doing nothing about.
"There's a member of the public that's just been assaulted by a 15-year-old girl who's drunk, had a drink thrown in her face, got punched. People have called the police, we've come round here and you're sitting here."
But the police officer told him: "I'm not a response unit, unfortunately."
The member of the public then says: "I know you're not, but the sight of the car will make them scatter."
The police officer then replies: "Yeah, but then I'll have to deal with it." The witness says: "Are you afraid to deal with it then?"
And the officer responds: "That's not the point."
The member of the public tells him: "It kind of is the point, that's the perception." The officer then says: "It's why I'm here and not round there."
A spokesman from Sussex Police told the Mirror: "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."
