New wardens deployed to tackle anti-social behaviour across county - Portsmouth allocated most money
Anti-social behaviour is being tackled head-on this summer with new specialist wardens across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight being deployed after funding was secured.
Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones helped deliver £750,000 to reduce anti-social behaviour with specialist wardens employed by local authorities. The officers, who are already in their posts, carry out patrols in hotspot locations identified through police data.
Portsmouth was allocated the biggest share of the money with £150,000 followed by Southampton which was given £112,500. Gosport, Havant and Waterlooville received £75,000, while Fareham was given £37,500.
The move is a new way to tackle anti-social behaviour in partnership with local authorities to free up police officer time to respond to crimes and emergencies during the busiest period of the year. The number of hours and patrols carried out by the wardens will be monitored and reported to the Home Office to track the positive effect and reduction in offending.
Ms Jones said: “The summer is a busy period for policing. Crime reports show anti-social behaviour increases during the summer months. If not managed, issues can escalate into more serious crimes putting pressure on policing resources.
“The public have told me they want ASB to reduce and by working with councils I’ve been able to ensure we have more boots on the ground in the right locations to prevent anti-social behaviour.
“The presence of uniformed ASB wardens has been proven to have a positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour. These dedicated wardens will reduce the pressure on police officers responding to ASB, whilst working closely with neighbourhood policing teams to ensuring the extra police time is spent on responding to crimes in action.”
Councillor Lee Hunt, cabinet member for community safety, leisure and sport said: "Portsmouth City Council has increased resources within the community wardens' team and youth outreach, and increased patrols in anti-social hotspots in Portsmouth, including in Commercial Road, Fratton Road, London Road and Sultan Road, thanks to the additional funding. This enables us to share more information with our partners, such as the police, and engage with and provide reassurance to our local communities."
Gosport Borough Council leader, councillor Peter Chegwyn, said: "Gosport Borough Council is committed to improving public safety. Extra funding has enabled the council to hire uniformed officers from Blayde Security to increase safety in the Ferry Gardens area of Gosport for the 12 weeks of summer, contributing to our aim of a safer, more welcoming borough.”
Councillor Richard Brown, community safety portfolio holder for Havant Borough Council, said: “Our resident’s survey identified that feeling safe was a priority concern for Havant residents along with wanting to see improvements in the street scene. The funding from the OPCC has meant that we have been able to employ a dedicated officer to proactively patrol our ASB hot-spot areas to support the work of the Police Local Neighbourhoods Teams.
“In the Havant Borough, we have already seen the value of the dedicated officer through early intervention, engagement with local businesses and residents, reporting of incidents and street scene issues, and working with our partners to tackle ASB.”
Executive member for health and public protection at Fareham Borough Council, Councillor Joanne Burton added: “It has been proven that having uniformed Public Space Guardians has a positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour. Our guardians not only help to reduce incidents of ASB, but can engage, signpost, submit intelligence and support Police Officers at a very busy time of year. This initiative fits in with Fareham’s partnership approach to working and I look forward to monitoring the results.”
The £750, 000 was part of a £1.4m grant from the Home Officer to the crime commissioner. The money was allocated to police forces by the previous government to specifically tackle anti-social behaviour, drive down crime in hotspot areas and boost public confidence.
The programme started in June with wardens already in post. The Police and Crime Commissioner will report on the findings at the end of the summer period.