A police officer has been accused of refusing to help with an alleged assault at a nearby supermarket because he was "not a response unit".
The Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) was filmed by a member of the public in a marked police vehicle near the scene of the incident in Lancing, Sussex. In the clip the male officer is told about a fight at a Co-Op store less than 300 yards away, but he tells the member of the public: "But then I'll have to deal with it."
The police officer's response is now being investigated after the incident came to light. Sussex Police have also apologised for the officer's "clumsy language", reports the Mirror.
The exchange took place on Thursday, June 29, and was shared on TikTok. The video has an incorrect date stamp of June 5, 2017 on it.
The witness says in the clip: "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 replies: "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. It's why I'm here and not round there."
Good Morning Britain reported on the incident. They said the journey the police officer would have needed to take to attend the incident at the Co-op would take 26 seconds.
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."
Former Scotland Yard detectives Mike Neville and Peter Bleksley also criticised the footage of the officers in the car.
Neville said: "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. 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."
Bleksley described the video as a "dreadful look" for the policeman and force involved, saying the officer should have "done what they are paid to do".
Guidelines state that PCSOs do not have the power to use force to make an arrest or to attend an incident in a vehicle on a blue-light emergency.
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