02 June 2008
Caerphilly County Borough Council's team of Community Safety Wardens are the eyes and ears of the community, helping to keep our streets safe.
The wardens really do make a vast difference to the way our communities are run. They do not replace police, rangers or other kinds of wardens – they complement existing services and help ensure a co-ordinated response to problems in the area.
In the last quarter alone, the wardens patrolled for an impressive 2063.5 hours, covering a grand total of 8914 miles. They also visited a total of 792 areas for this period, with 769 visits being to hotspot areas; 18 new hotspot areas were also identified. In addition, the wardens attended a total of 47 meetings in the last quarter, including a 100% attendance record for PACT (Partnerships and Communities Together) meetings.
Community Safety Manager, Howard Rees said, "These excellent figures give a clear indication of the sheer quantity of work that is being undertaken by the Community Safety Wardens within the county borough in the fight against crime and disorder."
The Community Safety Wardens are currently heavily involved in attempting to combat anti social behaviour Ystrad Mynach Park, which has been noted as a current priority at recent PACT meetings. It has been noted that large groups of youngsters tend to congregate on the footpath near to the park gates, which to vulnerable groups could be considered intimidating.
An increase in patrols from the Community Safety Wardens, in partnership with Gwent Police and the local school nearby, will attempt to significantly improve the recent problems in the area.
Community Safety Warden, Denzil Lawrence, stated, "It's important that members of the public are aware of the wardens and the work that we do in the community. Local residents are slowly getting to know us, and I feel that it is reassuring for them to recognize that the wardens are available on a day-to-day basis to help make them feel safer going about their every day lives."
The main duties of the Community Safety Wardens include:
- Providing a visible, uniformed and reassuring presence on streets, parks, playgrounds and estates in the county borough
- Developing community spirit by being approachable and responsive
- Providing a high profile patrolling presence and deterrent against anti-social behaviour
- Reporting environmental issues, e.g. fly tipping, dog fouling and litter, or issuing fixed penalty notices
- Reporting suspicious behaviour to the police and other enforcement agencies
- Supporting vulnerable residents
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