A PCSO can require you to give your name and address, if they suspect you of having comitted an offence and
if they think there is evidence of a crime, detain you until a police officer can be called.

Refusing to comply with either of those is an offence, so you weren't completely correct.

Your task would have been to prove that they had no reasonable grounds to suspect you had committed an offence. If the PCSO and the store guy both said they thought you'd stolen something, even if they were proved to be wrong, there's pretty much zero chance you would win the argument.

They might be power tripping and/or being dickheads, but they do have some very limited powers to fuck with you if they want to.
(username failed moderation, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 10:57, 3 replies)

Ah, but PCSO admitted that they didn't see me take anything.
The sum total of the allegation was that I'd left the shop without handing over cash.

I mean, you're probably right about the calling an officer bit - but I wasn't going to let that get in the way of my righteous indignation!
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 11:08, closed)

Pretty sure their efforts to detain suspects can't go further than
"please stay here whilst I summon a real police officer," though.
( monster munch person, man, woman... camera... TV?, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 11:31, closed)

They can restrain you, but probably won't.
You are now committing an arrestable criminal offence yourself though, so you need to make yourself scarce before the real plod turn up.
(username failed moderation, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 13:58, closed)

If only this had been in Florida
He would have had the right to shoot you in the back.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 13:25, closed)

"He was coming right at me... the long way round!"

( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Fri 28 Mar 2014, 15:18, closed)