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This post is unapologetically all about me 😄 I want to mark an occasion for me professionally – as some of you will already know, at the end of August I completed 20 years as a PCSO 👮♀️ This time has almost entirely been as a Hedge End North PCSO for West End. My patrols and ongoing work have been mostly dedicated to West End, but I do get involved in Hedge End and Botley too; as you will know from my high visibility bike patrol maps. 🚲
I joined Hedge End Police Station in August 2006 and was one of the very first PCSO’s to arrive and work in Hedge End North. I am the only one left frontline in Hedge End. I am a very proud PCSO who has always been passionate about the community and keeping people safe.
One thing I still get asked even now is, do I get paid as a PCSO? Even after 20 years there is still sometimes confusion over the PCSO role. The PCSO role is not an unpaid voluntary role and never has been, it is a paid role classified as police staff. Usually when people have thought the PCSO role is voluntary, it’s because they have confused the role with that of the Special Constable, as this is an unpaid voluntary role. I hope the following helps for anyone who has ever been unsure –
Police Community Support Officer - PCSO
Paid Employment.
Designated officer with specific powers designated by the Chief Constable.
Community engagement, ASB, and crime prevention.
Special Constable – SC
Unpaid. Voluntary – usually alongside their ‘day job’.
Warranted officer with full police powers.
Emergency response, public order, and frontline policing.
Police Constable – PC
Paid Employment.
Warranted officer with full police powers.
Emergency response, core criminal investigations, and full-spectrum policing.
Many things have changed since I joined, as I’m sure you can imagine. Originally, we had 3 PCSO’s just for West End, but times change and we roll with the punches. I remember hearing from adults when I was a child ‘it used to be fields over there’, but now it’s me saying it! 😆 When I joined, Dowds Farm was actually fields with a farm and Botley Hotel had a golf course, both have now been developed and are home to thousands of extra residents for us to work with and keep safe, as well as many other new developments all over Hedge End, West End and Botley.
One of the things I have valued most over the past 20 years is the fantastic relationship I’ve built with West End Parish Council I’m incredibly grateful to all of the staff, past and present, for their unwavering support and willingness to help, this has played a huge part in enabling me to serve the community effectively. 🙏
When I first joined the police there was a lot more underage drinking than I find these days, it was normal for us of a Friday or Saturday evening to seize significant quantities of alcohol from young people who were out and about. I think over the years the behaviour changed in part, due to our work to target this to protect and safeguard young people, but also to prevent crime later in the evening. So, if you are now around 35 years old, you might remember me seizing your alcohol when you were around 15! 🍺
I’ve had the pleasure of tutoring many new PCSO’s, a lot of whom have gone on to become PC’s. I volunteered to start the Police Cadet Unit at Hedge End and ran that as Unit Leader for a few years, watching the young people learn and grow was very rewarding. The young people in the unit at that time will be about 24-26 years old now. 😊
I’ve been involved in some amazing operations over the years – The Isle of Wight Festival being one of my favourites and I’ve also had 5 awards -
2013 – Western Area Commanders Certificate of Congratulations.
2020 – Certificate of Congratulations, from Chief Superintendent Rachel Farrell.
2020 – Focus Award from Chief Constable Olivia Pickney.
2025 – Certificate from Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern.
2026 – Head of Command Commendation Certificate from Detective Superintendent Abigail Leeson.
It’s relatively unusual to remain a PCSO for so long, as many people use the role as a stepping stone to become a police constable. While I have chosen to remain in the PCSO role for a variety of reasons, I have had the privilege of watching many of my PCSO colleagues develop and progress in their careers. As well as many moving onto other police staff roles, many are now police constables, 2 are now detective constables, 1 is now a police sergeant, 1 is a detective sergeant and 1 is a chief inspector.
Throughout my 20 years I have been called a ‘policeman’ many times, by both adults and children. Even now, parents will often point me out and say to their child, “Look, there’s a policeman.” It happens just as much today as it did when I first started. It’s easy to understand why. For much of history, policing was a male-dominated profession, and “policeman” was the term used by previous generations. It’s what many of us grew up hearing, so naturally it gets passed on. It doesn’t offend me to be called a ‘policeman’, clearly to do my job I have thick skin and broad shoulders 😆 But it does make me think about the messages we send to children, particularly girls, when we automatically describe certain jobs as belonging to men. I believe it’s important that girls can see and hear that they can do any job they aspire to. Language shapes perceptions, and representation matters. If a young girl can see a woman serving her community, solving problems and making a difference, she’s more likely to believe that she can do the same. If, over my 20 years, I’ve helped even a few girls see policing as a career open to them, then that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.
Thank you to all my colleagues, partners, and the residents who have made the last 20 years so memorable. It has been an honour to serve this community, and I look forward to continuing to support Hedge End in the future. 😊
Please do come along to my 20 Year Celebration Community Drop In Event on Weds 28th October 2-4pm at West End Parish Centre, Chapel Road, SO30 3FE. https://orlo.uk/vf62E
PCSO Mica Woodcock 12948 - West End PCSO. 👮♀️🚲👍😊 
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