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CHAPTER SEVEN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Introduction

7.1 Engagement with the community by the wardens has again been assessed using a variety of sources of evidence, including the initial analysis of funding applications, the case study visits, focus groups and the wardens' survey. These sources ensure that any conclusions drawn are based on a variety of data and therefore are likely to have a degree of validity.

Community Involvement in the Development of the Schemes

7.2 As outlined in the 2005 case study report ( GEN Consulting, 2005), consultation with communities during the early planning stages of the schemes was limited. This was due to a combination of the short time available to local authorities to design and implement their schemes, along with the pre-determined scheme design guidelines set out by the Executive.

7.3 Limited input into the development of the schemes was, however, not seen as an issue by the majority of community representatives consulted. It was felt that most people who had wanted to express an opinion on development had an opportunity to do so at the public meetings held in the target areas when the schemes started. The intention was also that neighbourhood compacts would specify the role of the wardens to the community.

Neighbourhood Compacts

7.4 The Executive's guidance indicated that neighbourhood compacts should be drawn up to provide the strategic context for the warden schemes (Scottish Executive, 2003b, p. 6-7). The compacts were defined as agreements between the Community Planning Partnerships and the local community which were to set out-

• The support and services that agencies such as the police and the local authority were to provide to tackle antisocial behaviour; and
• The standards of behaviour expected from residents.

7.5 Analysis of the 12 month templates found that just 29% of the schemes had completed neighbourhood compacts (Hayton, et al, 2005b). The 24 month reports show that this figure has increased slightly, with 32% now having compacts in place ( GEN Consulting, 2006). A further 35% reported that they either had other structures in place that negated the need for compacts or else were very close to completing their compacts ²⁰. The remaining 33% were either working on developing compacts, or, in one case, had no plans to develop them.

7.6 Falkirk and North Lanarkshire are examples of schemes that had taken a different approach. Falkirk had decided to incorporate the information about wardens into the community planning process. As such there was no intention to set up specific community consultation procedures for wardens. Likewise North Lanarkshire intended to create Local Area Partnerships in which liaison with tenants and residents about wardens (amongst other things) would be part of the structure.

7.7 Two Authorities had not begun to produce compacts:-

• Orkney had no plans to produce neighbourhood compacts; whilst
• East Renfrewshire was discussing the development of compacts with the Housing department.

The Case Study Compacts

7.8 Across the case study areas the priority given to the development of compacts was mixed. The majority of areas either had one in place or were in the process of developing one. Crucially, there was some ambiguity over compacts, depending on whether council or community representatives were consulted. For example, community representatives were often unsure as to what a compact actually was and whether one was in place.

7.9 The case study areas with a compact in place were:-

• Aberdeen;
• Dundee;
• Edinburgh; and
• Perth.

7.10 These were wide ranging in scope and aimed to communicate the key priorities of the council in interrelated areas such as:-

• Community safety;
• Environment;
• Education and learning;
• Employment and enterprise; and
• Health and wellbeing.

7.11 Despite the involvement of the local community in the early development of compacts, there was recognition that the initial momentum of the process had now slowed. There were 2 main reasons for this:-

• Involving residents at the start of the process was relatively easy due to the "novelty" effect of a new initiative. After this wears off, it is more difficult to engage people. It was recognised that this phenomenon was common to all council led initiatives, not solely community wardens; and
• The community representatives involved in the development of the compacts tended to be those who engaged with the council on a wide range of issues. As one scheme manager put it "the same crowd always step forward for these sorts of things". For this reason, it was recognised that there was some work to do in spreading the compact message to the wider community.

7.12 In order to address this slowdown, 2 of the schemes had taken initiatives:-

• In Dundee, the compact had been distilled to a 1 page document which was displayed in public buildings such as community centres and schools. Despite this, the scheme manager had heard little back from the community to convince her that the compact was having an impact. Her view was that only people with a particular interest in the content of compacts were likely to take the time to read them; and
• In Perth and Kinross, the compact had been distributed door-to-door.

7.13 Despite these initiatives, the overwhelming view of scheme managers, in the 4 areas where compacts existed, was that they had been of limited value. Indeed, the results were generally considered not to be worth the time and effort invested in the process. For example:-

• The Aberdeen scheme developed neighbourhood compacts for the areas receiving first round BSSAC funding. After this, the process was abandoned as the compacts were felt to conflict with the neighbourhood and community plans in place in the city. Despite this, compacts were considered to have brought some benefits in providing an entry point into the first target communities. However, consultees felt that the process was flawed from the start, with the Executive expecting the documents to be produced in 2 months, even though guidance on the subject suggested that a year was a more appropriate timescale. The view now was that the compacts contributed little to the operation of the warden service and that, once produced, they "sat on the shelf"; and
• In Perth and Kinross, establishment of the compact was felt to be one of the least successful aspects of the scheme. This was due to low attendance at compact meetings and a lack of volunteers willing to get involved in the process. This led the manager to comment that the compact had been one of the initiatives least embraced by the community in the warden scheme.

7.14 Elsewhere progress had been slow and the perceived results mixed. For example:-

• Development of the compacts had been a slow process in East Renfrewshire. The consultations found that there had been no progress since the first case study visits and it did not now seem to be a priority;
• A written compact was in the process of being developed in Inverclyde. Ironically, given the views of scheme managers (Paragraph 7.13), the delay in this process was of concern to some community representatives who felt there was reluctance on the part of senior council members to formulate a written document. The council are currently working with the Safety Partnership to address these concerns; and
• South Lanarkshire had opted not to develop a compact and was in the process of developing Neighbourhood Management Plans that were felt to have a better "fit" with the local authority's approach to community planning. Community wardens were one aspect of this process, with the wider aim being to provide a framework for interactions between the council and the general public. The idea was to include wardens as part of the existing community planning structures. Currently (2006) 2 Neighbourhood Management Plans had been drafted whilst several more were in preparation.

Compacts - An Assessment

7.15 The formulation of neighbourhood compacts in the case study areas had been a slow and time consuming process. Consultation with council representatives found that they saw them as being bureaucratic and onerous, whereas consultation with community representatives found limited understanding, both of what they were and of their purpose. Relationships between the wardens and the community were found to be influenced more by the structured and unstructured interaction which takes place rather than by compacts.

7.16 The fact that the majority of case study schemes had not developed compacts indicates that the process was not seen as a priority by the key stakeholders. In addition, all scheme managers, regardless of whether their scheme had a compact in place, felt that practical, day-to-day engagement with the community was crucial to the scheme's credibility. Whether this engagement was formalised by the existence of a written document was felt to be less important.

7.17 These rather negative conclusions reinforce the analysis of the 24 month templates ( GEN Consulting, 2006). It seems doubtful if, given the time that the warden schemes have been running, it is now worthwhile developing compacts for those schemes that do not currently have them.

The Wardens' Relationships with the Local Community

7.18 Regardless of the existence and impact of compacts, the majority of wardens surveyed felt that their relationships with the local community were positive (Table 7.1). Indeed, 69% said they were either "Very Good" or "Excellent". Only 1 person felt there was a "Poor" relationship. Again the 24 month templates would back up this positive view ( GEN Consulting, 2006).

TABLE 7.1 Wardens Descriptions of Their Relationships with the Local Community

7.19 Relationships with the community were said to have improved over time, with 82% of the surveyed wardens sharing this view. No-one said that their relationships with the community had become worse (Table 7.2). One reason for this may be the way most schemes interact with the community.

TABLE 7.2 In Your Time as a Warden/Concierge How Have These How Relationships Changed?

Structured Interactions with the Community

7.20 Structured interaction refers to the interaction wardens have with the community at scheduled meetings or events such as: tenants and residents meetings, community meetings, youth clubs, schools, councillors' surgeries, joint police and wardens' surgeries, fetes and local sports competitions.

7.21 Regular attendance at tenants and residents meetings was seen as important by wardens and members of the community. From the wardens' point of view it was seen as a way to demonstrate commitment and a willingness to address concerns. Community representatives liked the regular and formal link this gave them to the wardens, particularly when the schemes' managers attended. Members of the community also expressed their satisfaction when action was taken after an issue had been raised with the wardens.

7.22 Tenants and residents meetings were seen by some community members as a conduit to the wider community. For example, those who were less active in the community, and were less confident about raising issues, had the opportunity to raise concerns through their representatives. This gave them the reassurance that their concerns were known about and were being addressed by the wardens.

7.23 There were mixed views on the value of joint police-community warden interactions with the community. The Larkfield scheme in Inverclyde regularly held joint surgeries and had reported positive community feedback. However, other schemes' managers were more cautious about too close an association with the police. The view was that this could send out the wrong message to the community when the wardens were trying hard to establish their own identity, separate from the police. Doing this was felt to be important if they were to develop good relationships with their communities, especially young people for whom an apparent close relationship with the police would be counterproductive.

7.24 Of particular merit, in terms of formal structures for interacting with the community, is Dundee's Community Safety Wardens Advisory Group. This has 2 community representatives from each of the areas covered by the warden scheme. They have a role in determining the wardens' priorities in that they can air community concerns to the scheme manager and other partners. They also have a role in communicating to their local area about the activities that the wardens are involved in.

Unstructured Interactions with the Community

7.25 There was clear agreement across the range of consultees in the case study areas that the success or failure of community warden schemes was determined through interaction with people on a day-to-day basis. Wardens and schemes' managers both agreed that the level of service offered to local residents was central in defining their relationship with the community.

7.26 A common theme running through the consultations with community representatives ²¹ was praise for the wardens' prompt response times. 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 warden service over the police, with lengthy police response times being criticised in a number of scheme areas.

7.27 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.

7.28 The high visibility of wardens was also rated favourably by community representatives. Residents stated they felt safer in the knowledge that the wardens were patrolling the streets. Some examples of this were:-

• In Dundee, the wardens were regularly present when local bingo halls were coming out. This was seen as providing peace of mind to the customers. Similarly, wardens would often be around when local youth clubs were finishing. This not only ensured that the youths dispersed and did not create a disturbance, but reassured the young people, who were themselves often the victims of antisocial behaviour; and
• In Inverclyde, some residents reported waiting on 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.

7.29 Consultations with the local police, scheme managers and community representatives found that they felt that fear of crime was often worse than crime itself. The nightly presence of wardens in problem areas was seen as central to alleviating this fear amongst residents. Wardens were therefore seen as helping to make residents feel safer in their own areas.

7.30 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 and address these.

7.31 Positive media coverage of warden schemes was felt to have been of benefit in cementing community relationships. For example, in Aberdeen, Inverclyde, Dundee and South Lanarkshire "good news" stories had been printed in the local press. These often detailed new initiatives undertaken to improve community safety or reported on situations where wardens had helped the local community. This was seen as an important element in communicating the benefits of the wardens to the public and providing general reassurance.

7.32 The role of the wardens as professional witnesses was rated highly in discussions with community representatives. Anonymity was closely related to this. The practical example was given where a local resident called the warden hotline to report an issue. From this point on, the wardens take over responsibility: the caller does not even have to give a name if he or she does not want to. The wardens will then attend to the incident and log the appropriate details. If the police are required, and the incident escalates to the courts, the wardens will also act as witnesses if required. This function was viewed as very important by residents' groups. Prior to the introduction of the wardens, many residents would have been reluctant to report incidents as they feared reprisals if they had to go to court to give evidence. Community wardens now shouldered this responsibility, something that was recognised as a key benefit of the schemes.

Relationships with Young People

7.33 The experience from the case study areas is that developing relationships with young people was difficult and complex, far more so than with other groups such as the elderly. Within the schemes the relationships with young people varied from patrol area to patrol area, with youths in one area being positive towards the wardens whilst those in others could be very hostile. In contrast older people tended to be more of a homogenous group.

7.34 None of the schemes' managers expected to be welcomed by young people when the schemes were first introduced, and none were proved wrong. Hostility was said to characterise early engagements with youths. To a certain extent, the schemes' managers understood this. From the young person's position, wardens were "parachuted" into local communities with the express aim of monitoring their behaviour and stopping them doing certain things. Managers felt that wardens had worked hard to try and change opinions and attitudes by concentrating on working with youths, rather than against them, and developing personal relationships. This had worked better in some areas than others.

7.35 The managers agreed that there was no "magic formula" for engaging with young people. Time and presence appeared to be the main factors in getting closer to them. The longer the schemes have been in place, the more time young people had to get used to the idea of the wardens being in their areas. Similarly, the more often they saw the wardens patrolling their neighbourhoods then the more they came to recognise them as part of the "local landscape". Visits to schools and youth clubs were also felt to have helped in familiarising young people with the wardens and promoting the message that they were there to help young people, not to make their lives more difficult. The wardens had generally put a lot of effort into building up personal relationships with the youths in their areas. The rationale was that they were more likely to respond to requests from the wardens if they liked and respected them. The police were said to recognise this and often used the wardens to resolve low level issues. Many, therefore, viewed the wardens as forming a bridge between the police and local young people.

7.36 Attendance at local youth clubs was a key part of this "bridge building" strategy in the majority of case study areas. Several wardens stated that their interaction with young people could often be in a quasi-enforcement capacity, for example moving youths on or telling them to keep noise down. Interaction with young people at youth clubs by playing games or accompanying them on trips, allowed them to see the wardens as "real people", as one warden put it. This was felt to be important in establishing mutual respect and understanding.

7.37 The wardens' extensive knowledge of the local youths was commented on in a number of areas. The ability of wardens to recognise perpetrators of antisocial behaviour immediately, or to recognise descriptions from local residents, meant that those responsible could often be tackled immediately. This was seen as a major advantage that the wardens had over the police, and had only come about as a result of their regular presence and interaction with the community.

7.38 Some of the warden schemes worked closely with community mediation teams. Community mediators engaged with local youths and identified the activities they would like to see in their local community. For example, in Inverclyde community mediators had recently set up a youth club in one area and break dancing classes in another in response to demand. This stems from the view that, in order to change antisocial behaviour, authorities must get to the root of the problem. Many of the wardens reported that, when they asked local youths why they engaged in antisocial behaviour, boredom was the main reason given. Joint working with the community mediation team was seen as a way of tackling this through the setting up of diversionary activities.

7.39 In the longer term many case studies saw the development of links with primary school children as important, as was happening in Dundee. The idea was that these children would grow up knowing nothing but the presence of the wardens which, it was hoped, would lead to greater respect for them and a fundamental change in behaviours over time. Given this, scheme managers felt that the true impact of the wardens' interventions in achieving behavioural change would not be known for 5 to 10 years.

7.40 As part of this longer term "hearts and minds" approach a number of warden schemes had staged events and competitions for local children. For example, in East Renfrewshire children's Christmas parties were seen as a good opportunity to make links with the community, with some wardens playing the role of Santa Claus. In Inverclyde the wardens hold annual Christmas card contests, Easter egg races and local football competitions.

Relationships with Older People

7.41 There was a general consensus amongst managers that relationships with older people had been positive from the start. Whilst there had been a number of dissenting voices, who wanted more police as opposed to wardens (particularly in Dundee), most managers felt this was to be expected given that little was known about the wardens and what they could do..

7.42 Developing relationships with older people was characterised by "bridge building" at the start. In Inverclyde and Perth, for example, the wardens handed out promotional material on their visits to sheltered housing complexes or older people's houses. The Perth wardens had also developed their relationships with older people through the Vulnerable Adults Initiative (see Paragraph 17.41 for further details).

7.43 Looking across the schemes, gaining and holding on to the support of older people in the community appeared to be based on several factors. The key ones were:

• Maintaining high visibility and regular patrols in parts of the community where there were concentrations of older people;
• The wardens taking the time to talk to older people and encouraging them to use the service; and
• Prompt responses to calls for assistance from older members of the community.

7.44 From a slow start, older people were now considered to be the main beneficiaries of the warden service. Scheme managers were convinced that their fear of crime had reduced. This was backed up by the feedback they had received from older residents who commented, for example, that before the introduction of wardens, they were too afraid to go out after dark. Now, when they see wardens patrolling the area, older people were said to feel reassured and safe enough to leave their homes. Managers considered this to be one of the biggest successes of their warden schemes.

Community Involvement Issues

7.45 Despite the increased momentum of the schemes in all areas, there was recognition that more work needed to be done to publicise the wardens in the local community. Overall, the schemes' managers felt that, although there were large sections of the community using the warden schemes effectively, there were many residents who were not and who were unaware of the wardens and their functions. The feeling was that a number of residents were still "putting up" with antisocial behaviour and environmental problems, unaware that there was a service that could help them. Although the message was felt to be getting g through slowly it was felt it might take several years for it to penetrate the entire community ²². Working to develop a greater understanding of wardens was cited as a top priority in the case study areas. In addition to the range of community engagement initiatives outlined above, other steps being taken to increase the wardens' profile included:-

• The Dundee scheme producing a television advert to be shown in the Dundee area to influence awareness;
• Community Wardens' vans clearly displaying the service telephone number on the side;
• Write-ups in the local press highlighting positive stories;
• Advertising in local community centres and halls; and
• The use of friendly slogans such as "You talk. We listen" in scheme branding.

7.46 However, the analysis of the 24 month templates found that most schemes engaged in extensive publicity campaigns, doing such things as placing articles in the local press and magazines, talking to groups about the wardens' work, organising (and undertaking) leaflet drops and attending events such as gala days. Given this range and intensity of activity, it may be that there was now little more that could be done to make residents aware of the wardens. As such the additional efforts that many managers were to make may have little impact.

7.47 Confusion around what wardens can and cannot do was raised as the main issue in community relations. An example, given in Inverclyde, illustrates this point. An assault was taking place in the street. The community wardens arrived on the scene and attempted to diffuse the situation but were unable to do so within the limits of their powers. At this point, the wardens called the police and retreated to a safe distance to monitor and record details until the police arrived. Several onlookers were dismayed by the lack of action from the wardens. They expected them to become physically involved and restrain the individuals concerned. This lack of action led them to question what the wardens' role was, if they were unable to resolve this type of incident. The confusion demonstrated by this example highlights some of the difficulties still to be overcome.

7.48 This uncertainty, over which agencies were responsible for addressing antisocial behaviour, also emerged in other areas. In East Renfrewshire, where the wardens had an environmental remit, there were reports of members of the public asking for wardens to attend antisocial behaviour incidents, only to be told that the wardens did not deal with them. There were also issues around the point at which an incident ceased to be a warden matter and became one for the police. Communities were still getting to grips with the distinction and it was agreed it would take time for it to firmly take root in people's minds.

7.49 The perception of wardens as "policing on the cheap" was also held by certain members of the community. Within each of the case study areas, there was a strong view, in some quarters, that the money spent on the warden schemes would be better spent on police officers. Various methods had been employed to try and change these perceptions, including the distribution of literature on the role of the wardens and continual reinforcement of the differences at public meetings. The message was said to be slowly getting through but scheme managers still recognised that there was work to be done.

7.50 However, consultations found that those members of the community who had first hand experience of using the warden service were less likely to view them as "policing on the cheap". The main reasons for this appeared to be:-

• A greater understanding of the role of wardens by those who had used the service. They then realised that the wardens were not the police;
• An understanding of the different approaches used by wardens and the police with the wardens lack of enforcement powers meaning that they must handle situations differently from police; and
• The responsiveness of wardens. Those who had used the service commented on how quickly the wardens dealt with their concerns.

In addition, analysis of the feedback forms, from those case study areas that used them, found a high degree of satisfaction with the warden service, with most areas reporting satisfaction levels in excess of 80%.

Conclusions

7.51 Community consultation and liaison permeates the warden schemes, as without the co-operation and consent of local residents the wardens are likely to achieve little.

7.52 Progress has been mixed. At a formal level the evidence shows that there must be a large question mark over the usefulness of compacts. Whilst in some areas the process was useful in establishing initial contacts and developing credibility, most managers felt that the resultant documents were of little value. Given this, there would seem to be little point in those schemes that do not have compacts now starting to prepare them.

7.53 One reason for the compacts being seen as of limited value may be the plethora of other plans and strategies that have emerged in recent years, many of which stress the need to involve the community. Many of these are far more all-embracing than are the compacts. As such the compacts have tended to become subsumed in them. To this extent it can be argued that the compacts have been overtaken by events.

7.54 However, at an informal level, community relationships are generally good. This no doubt reflects the many ways that the wardens interact with local residents, with particular methods being selected according to the target group.

7.55 Overall, scheme managers were satisfied with the progress they had made in engaging with young and old people but felt there was still some distance to go: firstly, in encouraging greater numbers of older people to use the service; and secondly in engaging with greater numbers of young people. The latter was considered to be the more difficult of the two.

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