Agenda item

7.1  Jonathon Toy (Head of Community Safety and Enforcement) introduced the item to the sub-committee and stated that Southwark Community Warden Service (CWS) started in 2001 when the Bermondsey scheme was formed in response to rising crime, hate crime and anti-social behaviour.

7.2  Despite changes in staff numbers, geographical cover and emphasis, the main ethos of the service remains intact, to ensure that Southwark is clean and safe for residents, businesses and visitors.

7.3  The officer explained that since 2007 there has been a greater emphasis on taking forward the enforcement agenda. This was in response to feedback from local communities that they wished to see a greater focus on addressing environmental issues and anti-social behaviour that blighted certain areas.

7.4  The officer reported that the service had taken substantial budget cuts year on year and as such the service had changed and officers had to manage the best use of the warden service.

7.5  The CWS has taken a scaled approach to enforcement, in line with the council’s enforcement policy, of education, compliance and enforcement. Wardens have a range of delegated police powers under the Community Safety Accredited Scheme (CSAS) in addition to enforcing local authority bye laws and legislation.

7.6  Since its establishment in 2001 the warden service has seen a number of significant changes from 2006 the total team was 146 and cost £6,609,137 per annum to 2012/13 the total cost was £2.3m. However the direct general fund contribution to the service is just over £1m with the remaining funding from the Better Bankside bid area, Public Realm for Parks Service and the Housing Revenue account.

7.7  The officer further reported that the warden service was part of the Community Safety & Enforcement (CS&E) Division, and alongside other council departments and external agencies work together as part of the Safer Southwark Partnership (SSP). The SSP brings together a range of statutory, voluntary and community sector service to work together to reduce crime and disorder, the fear of crime and improve health outcomes. The SSP aims to make Southwark a safer and healthier place to live, work and visit.

7.8  Key internal partners include the Southwark Anti-Social Behaviour Unit (SASBU), Housing, Safeguarding, Street Population Outreach Team, Drugs & Alcohol Team, Environmental Health & Trading Standards, Night-Time Economy Team, Emergency Planning, Events Team, Environmental Enforcement and the Market Team.

7.9  The CWS is an intelligence led service with the ability to react positively to emerging situations. Wardens are tasked through the fortnightly Warden Intelligence Management Meeting (WIMM) process.

7.10  The sub-committee were informed that the people who use the service value it and feel that the service is very good and the opposite can be said for people who have not used the service.

7.11  The officer reported that the wardens were very hard working and would like to focus on estates and patrol more often to build on this service and develop it with additional powers, but there are only 31 officers and resources are limited.

7.12  The sub-committee heard that Southwark has a unique service and with the changing profile of the police, we should look at the advantage we have and how best to use it for the future.

7.13  In response to a question regarding a day as a Warden the officer replied, that each and everyday is different, during the summer the officer would start at midday and work until anywhere from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m.

7.14  The day would start with a briefing with team leaders followed by a patrol of highlighted estates. Wardens would then patrol around the schools from about 3 to 4 p.m. then back to the estates before final checks of the area and possibly visit to vulnerable people that are known to officers.

7.15  The Chair asked how the wardens were supervised? The officer stated that the supervisor would patrol with wardens or would check where they were and what they were doing from the Warden Control Centre.

7.16  A member asked how big was the response team? The officer responded that the team consisted of 8 officers and was intelligence lead, to deal with chronic problems such as drug dealing and taking. If a address is noted for selling drugs it will be closed and vacated, recent a drug haul of £84K worth of class A drugs was found at such a address.

7.17  A member of the sub-committee asked if the wardens would be coming to the Rotherhithe area regarding reports of anti-social behaviour and dog fouling? The officer stated that the service would need to be flexible to see if wardens, housing and the police could operate in the area in a joint effort. The response team has been used in the past to get the best result in situations like this, the officer advised the member to contact himself or the team with regards to this problem.

7.18  A member reported that there had been a large number of bike thefts in the Canada Water area? The officer advised the members that there was a need to make the best use of wardens working partnerships in the area and informed the member that the request would be welcomed.

  RESOLVED: (1) That views outside the warden service from councillors, friends of the park, officers and working teams to gather information for a   survey.

  (2) That the Chair and Vice-Chair spend a day with street wardens on patrol.