A LONG-SERVING Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) for Blackbird Leys has bid farewell to the estate after years of service.

Barry Sheehan, 39, a familiar face for many on the estate, handed in his uniform at Cowley Police Station ahead of a move to another force.

The father-of-two is now beginning a new role as a constable in Warwickshire Constabulary but is leaving with fond memories of six years in the Leys.

He said: "Since working in Blackbird Leys I have noticed what a great community they have here, it's a really nice group of people.

"It's unfairly judged from a history they have worked hard to try and get away from, and that's certainly not how it is now."

Mr Sheehan trained as a PCSO after leaving a role in car refurbishment and has been kept busy in everything from car chases to crackdowns on guns and bad behaviour.

He added: "Most of the work we have done is identifying those who pose the most serious risk to our community, people that are wanted for serious crimes.

"Work with drugs will always continue - you will never eradicate it completely but it's about disrupting and educating.

"For me personally the main highlight is helping vulnerable people in their time of need."

He added that he was confident the role of PCSOs would remain despite being under threat in the West Midlands and London.

He also said he believed beleaguered police office in Blackbird Leys Road would continue well into the future.

The office was set up in 2010 and threatened with closure in 2013 due to the site being deemed too large, and its £12,000 rent too high.

Mr Sheehan said: "I have always felt that the Blackbird Leys base provides a great support to the community and a lot of work went into making sure it stayed.

"Some people don't like to go to the Cowley police station and don't necessarily want to report a crime, but might just want a bit of advice. It's a vital part of our input."

Over the next few weeks Mr Sheehan will embark on training in Warwickshire, but he and family plan to stay in Bicester.

He said he was "looking forward" to becoming a constable, but added: "I don't meet the criteria for TVP because I don't have A-Levels, but I love working in Oxford.

"It's a great area; it's fast-paced and a lot of work goes in, but the officers and managing teams are brilliant. I would have loved to have had that role here."

A fellow officer, Martina Stanikova, also left Blackbird Leys last month, bringing the total number in the area down to four.

Thames Valley Police spokeswoman Connie Primmer was unable to confirm if Mr Sheehan and Ms Stanikova would be replaced, but said TVP had no plans to axe PCSOs.

She added: "As policing develops as a profession, two A-levels or an equivalent qualification provides a suitable bench-mark for officers and the demands of the training and job, where they will be expected to obtain their Certificate of Knowledge in Policing (CKP), manage increasingly complex investigations and use a raft of software applications and technical equipment."