Britain’s oldest PCSO has no intention of retiring as he enters his 50th year in policing

Police Community Support Officer Allan Barley, 79, is proving age is just a number as he begins his 50th year with the force.

Allan joined Essex Police back in 1976 and served for 30 years as a PC in Basildon, Wickford, and Chelmsford before becoming a PCSO in 2006.

He now works as a part of Chelmsford Neighbourhood Policing Team and plans to carry on for as long as possible despite being, we believe, the oldest PCSO in Britain.

Earlier this year, Allan’s commitment to public service saw him shortlisted in the lifetime achievement category at the National Police Staff Awards.

Allan was inspired to join the police when he was working in London and saw a newspaper advert for the Met that featured an officer pulling off a high-speed skid in a patrol car. Having grown up in South Ockendon, he chose to join his local force.

“At that time, I was living in Stifford and I was posted to Basildon but I didn’t have a clue where that was. I had to look it up on a map! I then had to borrow a push bike and cycle the 16 miles down the old A13, getting up at 3.45am for the early shift.”

Allan’s first two years were spent patrolling the streets of Basildon day and night. He said his starting salary was “terrible” but he loved the job even if it meant being out in the rain and snow with little more than a cape and a custodian to keep him warm.

“I thought it was brilliant. We’d walk the town centre checking doors - these are Dixon of Dock Green stories - and it was freezing cold sometimes but that’s what the job was. I’ve still got the cape I was issued.”

Advances in technology have changed policing dramatically during Allan’s career. Back in 1976, he was sent on a week-long course at HQ to brush up on his skills with a manual typewriter and his Inspector would sign Allan’s pocketbook to confirm he’d done his duties when he was on shift.

The use of computers was in its infancy and the only PCs found in most police stations were the kind who caught criminals. Allan cites body worn video as having the biggest positive impact and says his ability to adapt has been key to his longevity.

Reflecting on how society differs from when he started out, Allan says that the use of drugs has become more widespread. He clearly remembers when a colleague in Basildon seized what they mispronounced as ‘can-ar-bis’ and everyone gather round to have a look as none of the officers had ever seen it before.

However, despite the ever-shifting challenges of policing, Allan says his interactions with the public haven’t changed and the ability to talk to people is as essential now as it was fifty years ago.

“I like to talk, and your mouth is still your best bit of equipment. I’m on the town all the time and you get to know people - you’re even on first name terms with the bad guys and that’s very useful.

“Regardless of what you might read, there are more good than bad people out there. People love to see the police, they chat away and they thank you for what you’re doing.

“When I joined, I was with officers from the 1940s and 1950s. Times change but you still have to solve problems and appease people. It’s about knowing your audience.”

As a veteran of 61 marathons, Allan keeps fit by doing the Chelmsford parkrun every Saturday morning and this weekend he will compete in his 350^th parkrun event.

As he approaches his 80^th birthday, he has no thoughts of retiring and will continue to be out reassuring the public, taking statements and getting CCTV footage in Chelmsford city centre.

“Those last couple of years as an officer shoot past, and I wasn’t ready to retire. All I did was change my hat and carried on! The days of chasing round and perhaps getting into the odd scuffle are gone but you don’t choose retirement, it chooses you.”

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