This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Campaign launched to clean-up streets
17/12/2002
A network of community wardens is to be created
throughout Scotland to combat anti-social behaviour and
clean-up Scotland's streets, while freeing police officers
to focus on serious crime.
The Executive is making funding available through the
Scottish Budget so that community warden schemes can be
introduced from 2004 where there is a demand.
Local schemes will be designed to meet the needs of
their community, and most wardens will be expected to:
- Reduce crime and the fear of crime, for example, by
tackling anti-social behaviour, reassuring residents,
providing surveillance for the police, acting as
professional witnesses and making security
surveys;
- Improve the local environment, for example, by
removing graffiti and litter, and regularly checking
and reporting problems such as broken street lighting
or abandoned cars so they can be dealt with.
At Johnstone in Renfrewshire where he officially
launched the council's warden scheme, First Minister Jack
McConnell also announced that the Executive is considering
how wardens could contribute to the fight against youth
crime.
For example, through schemes which make young offenders
face up to the impact of their crimes or through the
supervision of Anti Social Behaviour Orders and Community
Service Orders.
Mr McConnell said:
"It is time to clean-up Scotland's streets and reclaim
them for the decent law-abiding majority, making our
neighbourhoods safe and our communities attractive places
to live.
"Everyone deserves to live in a place that they can be
proud of, bring up their children and enjoy their old
age.
"Crime is falling in Scotland, but there are still too
many hard-pressed communities who feel as if they are under
siege from mindless thuggery, youth disorder and
intimidation, bad neighbours, vandalism and graffiti.
"Community wardens are not an alternative to regular
policing. But they will make communities safer and feel
safer.
"Their work is about stopping trouble before it actually
starts and being a link between local people, the police
and the authorities so that problems are sorted out
quickly. They will also have a role in diverting young
people from criminal activities.
"There are now a record number of police officers in
Scotland. We need to ensure that they can focus their
strength on tackling serious crimes like drugs, while we
also deal with anti-social behaviour.
"Here in Renfrewshire we can already see the successful
partnership of the police and wardens in action and I want
other communities to benefit too."
Mr McConnell was with Social Justice Minister Margaret
Curran in Johnstone where wardens began patrolling in July
and have proved a success in tackling anti-social
behaviour, alerting police to incidents like petty crime,
abandoned cars and vandalism, and arranging for litter and
graffiti to be cleaned-up.
Margaret Curran said:
"I am encouraged by the work that has been going on in
Renfewshire and by the difference similar schemes have made
in England and Wales where some communities have seen crime
drop by as much as 40 per cent.
"In the recent spending review, I allocated £20 million
to extend community warden schemes across Scotland. This
will complement the range of measures that the Executive is
putting in place to tackle crime, regenerate communities
and deal with anti-social behaviour."
Danny Rossiter, Senior Warden, said:
"So far the wardens have been encourged by the support
of residents and community groups. There's no doubt that
older people especially are happy to know we are about at
night. It's important that everyone understands just how
much the fear of crime can really affect how people view
their community. With the help of local people we can
hopefully change that. That's certainly what we're all
trying to do."
Sergeant Fraser Murray, Community Police representative
for Johnstone, said:
"Improving communities is all about a partnership effort
between public agencies, such as Strathclyde Police and
Renfrewshire Council, and local groups.
"I feel that the work of the wardens, particularly in
deterring anti-social behaviour or helping to resolve
neighbour disputes, is a valuable addition to those joint
efforts to improve the quality of life in local
communities"
Margaret Stevenson, Secretary of the Sandy Flats Tenants
and Residents Association, said:
"My initial impressions of the wardens are very
favourable. They're easy to talk to, take the time to
attend our meetings and listen to our concerns, and most
importantly they've proved that they'll take or arrange
action to respond to local issues.
"Our association passed on local people's worries about
groups of youths hanging about and causing trouble. It
seems that the sight of the wardens patrolling has reduced
that and that has made our association's members feel more
secure in going about their own area."
Councillor Jim Harkins, Leader of Renfrewshire Council,
said:
"The wardens scheme is a particularly innovative
approach which we hope will bring real benefits to local
communities. Before the wardens started work, Renfrewshire
Council consulted with residents and shaped the scheme to
deal with the issues they wanted tackled.
"Certainly, we hope that that a frequent and clearly
identifiable official presence on the streets will reduce
or deter vandalism and anti-social behaviour. Of equal
importance is what we see as the wardens' broader role in
building up the community. That includes addressing
people's fear of crime. It also involves arranging quick
responses to problems of litter or graffiti.
"Clearly it's early days yet but the initial reaction of
the people served by the wardens has generally been
supportive. Hopefully, the end result will be better and
safer communities."
The Renfrewshire Neighbourhood Warden Scheme is
currently being funded through the Executive's Better
Neighbourhood Services Fund allows councils to improve
services in deprived neighbourhoods. This is a pilot scheme
and is scheduled to run until 2005.
Renfrewshire's Neighbourhood Wardens operate in West
Johnstone and in Ferguslie, Shortroods and Foxbar in
Paisley.
The recent Scottish Budget committed £30 million for
securing safe communities. This includes £20 million to
extend community wardens across Scotland from 2004
onwards.