To tackle anti-social behaviour street wardens will now be patrolling parts of Nottinghamshire on Friday and Saturday afternoons and evenings. An investment of more than £250,000 has been secured for the Home Office's Safer Streets Scheme thanks to a successful bid by the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, Nottinghamshire Police and Rushcliffe Borough Council.
Thanks to the funding boost officers from the council's contractors will be patrolling each weekend to deal with the impact on street drinking, substance misuse and aggressive begging that has been taking place on Central Avenue, Bridgford Road, Loughborough Road, Radcliffe Road and other streets in West Bridgford area.
Patrols will also take place in and around the neighbouring Trent Bridge area. The wardens will be able to issue fixed penalty notices, and will also be gathering evidence of anti-social behaviour and criminal activity. They will be reporting incidents to Nottinghamshire Police and Rushcliffe Inspector Rob Lawton’s team for further action.
Inspector Rob Lawton said: "Working with our partners to keep people as safe as we possibly can is our top priority. These patrols will be vital in helping us to keep the area a great place to live, work and visit."
It is hoped that by increasing the visible presence of police in the area the wardens can help deter other criminal activity, such as vehicle crime and shoplifting. As well as these patrols there will be a renewed focus on keeping businesses and members of the public safer.
Councillor Rob Inglis, portfolio holder for environment and safety for Rushcliffe Borough Council, said: "We have had issues down here with begging, people rough sleeping and anti-social behaviour." The councillor hopes that the wardens will "be a deterrent" for crime in the area, but will also be able to offer help to those who need it.
He added: "It's not just about prosecution and fining people, it's about helping and offering support." In addition to the new patrols for the area, the funding means that further CCTV in the area can be explored, as well as more ANPR cameras to alert Police to vehicles of interest.
These resources will help to further compliment the work of neighbourhood police officers, whilst also building on the wardens' current role in assisting the council in the clamp down on littering and fly-tipping in Rushcliffe. Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, said: "We have secured a quarter of a million pounds for the Safer Streets funding spent here, and that's in addition to the work that the police and Rushcliffe Borough Council are already doing. We will be looking to do more CCTV and ANPR cameras. So people who are coming into the area to cause trouble, we will be spotting them."
Commissioner Henry added that it is "just the minority of people that are causing trouble" which she hopes will be deterred by the patrols, keeping the towns a great place for its residents.
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