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CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE COMMUNITY'S VIEWS ON IMPACT

Introduction

14.1 This Chapter looks at the perceptions of the wardens and their impact as seen by those resident within the case study areas. It draws on 3 main sources:-

• The analysis of the 24 month templates
• The base and endline surveys, which were reported more fully in Chapter 12; and
• A series of focus groups undertaken with young and older people ⁴³. The majority of focus groups, involving young people, were carried out in youth clubs and involved groups of young people aged between 11 and 16. However, in Aberdeen a primary school was visited and in Dundee the focus group was carried out in an after school care club. All of the focus groups undertaken with older people were carried out with residents of sheltered housing complexes. Focus groups were undertaken in October and November 2006.

Further details of the methodology are given in Paragraphs 2.41 to 2.44. We start by considering awareness of the wardens as identified in the surveys, as clearly a prerequisite of being able to ascribe impacts to an intervention is awareness of that intervention.

Awareness of Wardens

14.2 The base and endline surveys asked questions about awareness of the wardens. Although the local communities had had limited, or no, involvement in the planning of the warden schemes (Paragraph 7.2) awareness was now generally good (Table A2.23) ⁴⁴, with almost three quarters of survey respondents in the case study areas indicating that they were aware of them. However, the change in levels of awareness since the baseline survey was slight: an increase from 70% to 72%. This may reflect the fact that, when the baseline survey was undertaken, wardens were already operational in some areas, and, even in those schemes where the wardens were not yet on the streets, advanced publicity may have generated awareness. Despite this, it is surprising that awareness has changed so little over the year. This might imply that there is a ceiling of awareness that, once attained, is difficult to exceed. As such it may be unrealistic to expect awareness to have risen markedly between the 2 surveys.

14.3 Most of those who were aware of the wardens had first become aware of them through having seen them on patrol (Table A2.24). This would seem to indicate that visibility is the key to awareness. In its turn this might then result in people talking about them to friends and neighbours thereby increasing awareness even further.

14.4 The findings of the National Evaluation of the Street Wardens (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006) highlighted a positive correlation between awareness of, or contact with, wardens and perceptions that the neighbourhood had improved. The extent to which this relationship was seen in Scotland is explored next.

Perceptions of the Wardens' Impact

14.5 The base and endline surveys both asked questions about perceptions of the impact that wardens could have and have had. The baseline survey showed a picture of considerable optimism as to what the wardens could achieve, with 33% of respondents feeling that wardens could improve the quality of life "Considerably" in their areas (Table A2.25). Only 14% did not know. The endline survey showed that perceptions of the potential impacts of the wardens had changed based, one assumes, on experience. Thus, 15% now felt that wardens could have a "Considerable" impact on the quality of life, whilst 27% "Did not Know". One interpretation of this is that there is now a realisation that the wardens are not going to have a dramatic impact upon all facets of antisocial behaviour. However, the fact that there is still a feeling, amongst some interviewees, that wardens could have an impact implies that there is scope for progress as well as optimism amongst residents about what impact the wardens could have.

14.6 The endline survey asked if interviewees felt that wardens had improved the quality of life (Table A2.26). A substantial percentage "Did not Know" (42%). However, 6% felt that the wardens had "Considerably" improved the area and 25% that they had improved it a "Little", 31% in total. In contrast 27% felt that the wardens had been responsible for "Not Much" or "No" improvements.

14.7 These figures are disappointing when compared to survey results from elsewhere. For example, in Northern Ireland 86% of residents surveyed for the national evaluation believing that the wardens provided a "Useful" or a "Very Useful" service (Northern Ireland Housing Executive, 2003). However, in common with the results of the Scottish base and endline surveys, the evaluation in Northern Ireland received a mixed response when the changes in specific types of antisocial behaviour were considered.

14.8 To explore those areas where wardens were perceived as having an impact, their impact on specific types of antisocial behaviour will now be considered. Those who stated that the incidence of the 6 types of antisocial behaviour had become "Less Common" (Tables A2.6, A2.9, A2.12, A2.15, A2.18 and A2.21) ⁴⁵ were asked if they thought this was due to the wardens. Table 14.1 shows the results. Interpretation needs to be done cautiously for, as the final column in the Table indicates, the absolute number of interviewees is often very small. Accepting this, it can be seen that:-

• Overall 44% of those who answered this question felt the wardens had had a positive impact upon the incidences of antisocial behaviour ⁴⁶. This means that 103 out of the total of 889 respondents to the survey (12%) felt that at least one type of antisocial behaviour had become less common and that the wardens were responsible for this;
• The highest figures were for Vandalism, Drug Misuse, Intimidation and Litter; and
• The lowest levels were for Noisy Neighbours and Rowdy Behaviour, with this latter type of antisocial behaviour having a particularly low level of attribution. One explanation for this may be that people do not see the wardens as having a role in dealing with these types of behaviours, but feel that they are the responsibility of housing officers or other specialists. This is, however, speculation on our part.

Given the findings of similar evaluations it seems likely that those who ascribe a positive impact to wardens' interventions do so as they have personal experience of what the wardens can do ⁴⁷, as was found in Northern Ireland.

TABLE 14.1 Attributions of Positive Impacts on Antisocial Behaviour to Wardens

Note:-

1. These are the absolute number of respondents who felt that the particular type of antisocial behaviour had become "Less Common".

14.9 The base and endline surveys, therefore, present a picture of general awareness of the wardens amongst residents and optimism about what they can achieve. This is reinforced by those who feel that the wardens have had a positive impact on reducing some types of antisocial behaviour. To explore whether these views were shared amongst particular groups within the community, we will now look at the focus group findings.

Young People and Community Wardens

14.10 The majority of young people involved in the focus groups seemed very aware that community wardens were operating in their areas, thereby reinforcing the findings of the surveys. In Dundee, participants (including younger children) could identify the extent of the patrol area. This was highlighted by the comments of a young child in Dundee who lived outwith the wardened area but knew that the wardens could be found around his friend's house.

14.11 When asked about the role of the wardens, young people seemed unclear. All of the attendees understood that the wardens patrolled neighbourhoods, tried to stop them behaving in a manner that was perceived to be antisocial and moved them on if they were congregating in large groups. The majority of participants were also aware that the wardens did not have any formal powers, unlike the police.

14.12 There was a general lack of awareness of the role of the wardens in building community relations and in improving the quality of the local environment. Young people in Dumfries knew that the wardens removed hypodermic needles but said that they had never seen any action to remove, or prevent, littering or graffiti.

14.13 The role of the wardens in locating and removing hypodermic needles also emerged in Dundee where all of the children indicated that they had been taught to contact the wardens should they discover a needle. A number of the children indicated that this had happened to them. They had left the needles where they were and told a warden about them. However, when asked how they would contact a warden, should the need arise, the children seemed unsure: stating that the wardens "are just there".

14.14 Young people were asked questions about their contact and relationships with the wardens. The general impression was that the wardens were friendly and were more approachable than the police. Young people in Orkney commented that the wardens were:-

• Friendlier than the police;
• Gave advice; and
• Listened to what they said.

The younger children in Dundee seemed to have particularly good relationships with the wardens, whom they knew by name. The majority had stories to tell of wardens having helped them across busy roads or stopping to play football for a few minutes during their patrol.

14.15 The wardens were regularly seen around the neighbourhoods that they patrol yet, whilst the children in Dundee said that they often see the wardens at their after school club, young people in other areas said that the wardens rarely or only occasionally visited youth clubs. Further, young people in Dumfries commented that the wardens tended to speak to youth workers rather than directly to them and, when on patrol, they usually drove around in their van with the windows rolled up and made little effort to interact. Whilst they were seen on foot more often in the summer months, the young people said they had little contact with them outwith the summer football initiative.

14.16 Those who attended the Perth focus group said that they had never asked the wardens for help. In Dumfries the young people held the view that they would rather report incidents to the police than the wardens as there would be more chance of action being taken.

14.17 Enforcement by the wardens was also discussed at the focus groups. In Dundee one boy spoke about the wardens asking him to stop kicking a football in his estate. At first he ignored the wardens, but when they returned, and explained to him that he was causing a disruption and might cause damage, he stopped the game. When asked how he felt about being told to stop his game, the boy said that he did not mind as he knew he should not have been acting in that way. A similar sentiment was also expressed by another participant at the Dundee focus group who related how her older sister had been moved on by the wardens for hanging around in a large group. The girl felt that this was justified as she has been taught that large groups of young people may intimidate older people. These findings seem to illustrate the importance of explaining to children, from a young age, why they are being asked not to act in certain ways as opposed to merely reprimanding them and appearing, as one participant in Dumfries commented, that they were trying to stop them from having fun.

14.18 The interaction of wardens with older children and adolescents appears, in some cases, to have been less successful. This was, however, expected given the comments of some scheme managers . The Perth focus group revealed teenagers to be indifferent to the wardens, whilst in Orkney teenagers said that when the wardens move them on they often return 15 minutes later and carried on as before. The teenagers present at the Dumfries focus group often choose to ignore the wardens, following realisation that they had no formal powers ⁴⁸, a point that was raised in relation to underage drinking. The view was that they would not pour their drink away if requested by a warden and would carry on with their activities unless they knew that the police were on their way. This disrespect seems to have been fuelled by resentment at perceived inequality in the treatment of older and younger adolescents by the wardens. The younger group members in Dumfries complained that they were targeted by the wardens whilst they overlooked the offending behaviour of older teenagers who were more abusive towards them.

14.19 The impression that wardens target some groups, and areas, whilst avoiding others, also emerged in other focus groups. Younger children in Inverclyde made similar comments to those in Dumfries, feeling that they were targeted by the wardens because of their youth, whilst the older young people were left alone. In addition, attendees in Aberdeen said that the wardens focused their activity on safer areas as opposed to tackling the more serious problems in other parts of the neighbourhood.

14.20 Participants were asked about the impact that the wardens had had on their neighbourhoods. The responses varied considerably between the focus groups. In Dundee all of the participants, including the club leaders, enthusiastically indicated that they believe the wardens were "a good thing" and that they should continue to be funded. This view was also expressed in Aberdeen, where the focus group concluded that the warden service should be continued, and expanded, as the wardens' presence made them feel safer.

14.21 The views of focus group participants in Perth, as to the impact and value of community wardens, were mixed. Around two thirds of the young people present stated that they felt safer following the introduction of wardens. The remainder felt that they had made little difference. Mixed views were also revealed in relation to the impact of wardens on graffiti and environmental problems. However, a number of participants believed that the area was now a "nicer" place in which to live since the wardens became operational.

14,22 In Orkney, focus group participants did not believe that wardens had made a notable impact on levels of antisocial behaviour, underage drinking or vandalism, stating that it would make little difference if wardens were taken away tomorrow. These comments do, however, have to be interpreted in the context of levels of antisocial behaviour that were generally very low.

14.23 This was also the feeling that was expressed in Dumfries where young people highlighted fire raising, fighting, drugs and underage drinking as neighbourhood problems but did not believe that the wardens had had any success in addressing them. The focus group said the wardens were "too soft", lacking in power and respect. As such the young people appeared to laugh at the wardens calling them " PC Wanabes" and "cheap bacon". The young people stated that they did not feel any safer knowing that wardens were patrolling their neighbourhood and that, in their opinion, the service should not continue to receive funding.

14.24 Very negative views of the community wardens were expressed by young people in Inverclyde: particularly the older adolescents present at the focus group. Young people struggled to understand the purpose of the wardens and saw the service as a waste of resources. In addition, the young people were hostile towards interaction with the wardens as they were seen as "grasses" who feed back information to the police. However, this finding is not surprising, given the comments of the scheme manager who recognised problems with youth engagement in the area where the focus group took place. The scheme manager was, however, confident that these difficulties were far less pronounced in other patrol areas.

14.25 The views of impact from young people are therefore very mixed, with the older ones, in particular, being often quite negative in their perceptions of the wardens and their impact. However, given that it is this group that is most likely to be the target of the wardens' activities this is perhaps not surprising. Yet it does seem to indicate that, in some areas, more needs to be done to develop positive relationships based on mutual respect.

Older People and Community Wardens

14.26 Awareness of community wardens amongst the older people involved in the focus groups was generally high and participants appeared to have a good understanding of their role and the ways in which they could support the work of the police. They were also aware of the limits of warden's powers and, in Aberdeen, supported changes that would allow wardens to issue fixed penalty notices.

14.27 All focus groups involving older people took place in sheltered housing complexes. It appeared that the wardens in these areas maintained regular contact with the complex and the residents. Wardens dropped in to visit whilst on patrol thereby building relationships and reassuring residents that they were there should they need them. Participants in Orkney did, however, comment that they would like to see more of the wardens. Older residents in Aberdeen had all been given a card listing contact details for the wardens so it is always to hand should they have a problem. In Dundee, residents said that they can report incidents to the management of the housing complex who then called a warden on their behalf. In general, the wardens were perceived to be friendly and approachable and all participants felt able to contact the wardens should the need arise.

14.28 When asked about their use of the warden service, the majority of participants referred to problems they had encountered with local young people. Those in Dundee spoke about young people hanging around their complex, vandalising property and drinking. Since the wardens began operating in the area residents believed that the situation had improved. An employee of the complex added that the wardens had greatly increased the security of the building, providing reassurance to residents. One resident did, however, state that many youths returned to the area and continued their activities after the wardens had left.

14.29 Similar themes emerged in Aberdeen and Orkney where residents complained about young people causing trouble when leaving a nearby youth club. In order to address this issue, the wardens had begun escorting young people home from the club, ensuring the safety of the young people whilst also preventing them from acting in an antisocial manner and making older people feel insecure. Since the wardens began operating in Torry, older people believed that there had been a reduction in the number of young people hanging around and causing trouble, making the neighbourhood a more pleasant place in which to live and making them feel safer. If the wardens were withdrawn they feared the problems would resurface.

14.30 In addition to reducing the number of young people hanging around, participants in Aberdeen felt that there had been a noticeable reduction in incidences of vandalism and damage to property since the wardens began patrolling. Given this, they were thoroughly satisfied with the service provided by the wardens and believed that the initiative should continue to receive funding.

14.31 Participants were less clear about the impact of the wardens in Dundee on the environment, stating they were unsure if there had been a reduction in vandalism, graffiti and litter since they became operational. When asked about improvements that could be made to the service, a lively debate ensued with residents discussing the most appropriate way to deal with antisocial behaviour. Some believed that an authoritarian approach was required whist others felt that engagement with young people and the provision of activities and facilities was more appropriate.

14.32 When asked if the wardens should continue to receive funding the Dundee group agreed unanimously that they should. However, this was followed by a request for more policing, additional lighting and the installation of CCTV, indicating a general desire for more services to enhance the security of the area.

14.33 Participants in Orkney agreed that the warden service should continue to receive funding and commented on the wardens' impact on rowdy youths in the Papdale area of the town. The group also said that they felt reassured knowing the wardens were there, even if they did not see enough of them.

14.34 The older people were, therefore, generally favourably disposed towards the wardens, feeling that they had a positive impact upon the quality of life. This was underpinned by a general desire to see the wardens to continue to receive funding. These positive views were reinforced by the 24 month template analysis and the opinions of those members of the general community consulted in the course of the case study visits.

The Views of the General Community

14.35 Almost all of the 24 month templates stated that residents were very happy with the warden schemes. In the majority of cases the evidence for this came from residents personally thanking wardens whilst they were on patrol for the work that they did, or else writing or telephoning to the council to note their appreciation. Wardens also received feedback on a regular basis through groups such as tenants' and residents' associations and community councils. In addition some local authorities had carried out residents' surveys, whilst a small number had developed Customer Satisfaction Surveys to allow people who made a report to the wardens to comment on the service they received. Comments made by residents included:-

• Expressions of thanks for the invaluable work being done by the wardens;
• Reports of feeling safer and more secure in their neighbourhoods; and
• Residents stating that their quality of life had improved since the warden scheme began.

14.36 Three schemes provided details of survey results in the templates:-

• In North Ayrshire 30% of the surveyed residents believed that the wardens had effected positive change, 22% were yet to be convinced that they had made the area better, whilst the remaining 48% either did not know or didn't respond. The local authority believed these findings reflected the lack of awareness of the work that the wardens do, which they plan to address;
• Overall, 81% of Perth and Kinross respondents were very satisfied or satisfied with the service; and
• In Renfrewshire, 49% of residents surveyed felt safer as a result of the wardens, and 72% agreed that central and local government should fund the continuation of the scheme.

Methodological issues, such as the extent to which the surveys are representative, mean that the results need to be treated with a degree of caution. Despite this, the results are generally supportive of the wardens.

14.37 The majority of comments reported in the templates were positive with there being generally very little reported negative feedback from residents. The majority of the negative comments that were made focused on resources. These included: a desire to see more wardens, extending their patrol hours and wanting to see them in areas that were currently without wardens.

14.38 A common theme running through the consultations undertaken in the case study areas was praise for the prompt response times of the wardens. Residents' groups commended the fact that, when a call was logged, wardens were on the scene quickly. This was seen as a major advantage of the wardens' service over the police, with lengthy police response times being criticised in a number of scheme areas.

14.39 Prompt response times were viewed as bringing a number of benefits:-

• Immediate reassurance to the person reporting the incident that the complaint was being addressed;
• Better identification of the perpetrator(s) of the incident through quick arrival on the scene; and
• Ongoing deterrence as the perpetrator(s) came to understand that community wardens responded quickly.

14.40 The high visibility of wardens was also rated favourably by community representatives. Residents stated they felt safer in the knowledge that wardens were patrolling the streets. For example, in Inverclyde, some residents reported waiting for the regular wardens patrol passing before they would go out at night, for example to visit the local shop or take the dog for a walk. Community wardens were seen as providing the peace of mind needed to carry out these everyday tasks.

14.41 The high degree of flexibility shown by the wardens' management was recognised by community representatives in several areas. The willingness of wardens to adapt their patrols and duties in line with community concerns was felt to be important in demonstrating their value to the community. Where recurrent environmental or antisocial behaviour issues were raised with the wardens, residents were confident that wardens would take steps to try to address them.

Conclusions

14.42 Overall awareness of the wardens was high, although by no means all were aware of their powers and responsibilities. Whilst young people did not, perhaps, feel that the wardens' impact had been very significant, at least some did feel that the wardens had improved the quality of life in their localities. Older people were generally more positive about impact, some exceptionally so.

14.43 Generally the wardens had established better relationships, and were more highly valued, by older people in the community than the younger age groups. This finding was unsurprising given the remit of the wardens to reduce crime, fear of crime and antisocial behaviour and the common perception that young people were the perpetrators of many of these offences. As such, young people may feel victimised by stereotypes attached to them and react in a defensive manner to interventions that appeared to target them. The positive views expressed by younger children in Dundee were, however, encouraging and may suggest that educating and building relationships with children when they are young could engender the kind of behaviour modification envisaged by the Scottish Executive when introducing community wardens across the country.

14.44 In order to become a feature of the community that is respected and valued it seems important for wardens to engage positively with all sections of that community. Interaction should not merely be reactive and negative. Therefore, it is important for wardens to spend time with older residents on an informal basis and to interact with young people in a positive manner when they are not acting in a way perceived to be antisocial.

14.45 Positive and continual engagement with the community may be enhanced by training which builds on the characteristics of individual wardens. Focus groups revealed the negative response of young people to perceived victimisation and authoritarian behaviour, a point that was reinforced by the opinions of some older people in Dundee. It therefore seems important for wardens to address young people as equals and respond to offences in a consistent manner, regardless of the age of the perpetrator. An example of positive and continual engagement with young people was seen in Orkney where 2 of the wardens were employed as youth workers at the local youth club.

14.46 Socio-economic characteristics and behavioural norms may be significant in understanding perceptions of, and reactions to, the introduction of community wardens. For example, in areas such as Orkney, which was not perceived to suffer from major environmental and antisocial behaviour problems, informal mechanisms of social control were felt to regulate behaviour. This resulted in low levels of antisocial activity. Whilst young people may have misgivings about the impact of the wardens, they showed respect to them as individuals and paid attention when they were asked to stop doing something, although they might return to it later in the kind of rebellious manner common amongst adolescents.

14.47 Alternatively, the lack of perceived impact and value of wardens in areas such as Inverclyde, which suffer from considerable environmental and antisocial behaviour problems, may be explained in a different way. As authority figures, young people from deprived areas in which community relations with formal institutions are poor, may react with suspicion to the introduction of wardens. In addition, in areas faced with high rates of criminal activity, the role of the wardens in addressing low level crime and antisocial behaviour and environmental issues (such as littering) may be seen as trivial. As a result wardens may be perceived as a waste of resources and treated with indifference. In instances such as these, engagement of wardens with the local community is considered vital.

14.48 Despite these views there is evidence, from the surveys, the focus groups and case study interviews, that the wardens were felt to have an impact, both on perceptions and the incidence of low level crimes and antisocial behaviours. This therefore backs up the earlier statistical and survey analysis.

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