The valued team of community wardens - who tackle issues that are important to residents will be expanded to provide further support across the Royal Borough.
Cabinet approved plans to grow the team from 18 to 25 community wardens on Thursday 22 March. They will continue to work in our communities tackling issues that matter most to residents.
The team will continue to carry out patrols providing vital community engagement between residents, the council and the police as well as offering crime prevention advice and having enforcement powers to tackle littering and anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Jesse Grey, cabinet member for environmental services (inc. parking and flooding), said: “Our community wardens already do a fantastic job helping to keep our residents safe and making sure the needs of all our varied communities are being addressed.
“Expanding the team of community wardens will allow them to continue their community engagement and preventative work to support communities across the borough.
The main purpose of the community wardens' scheme is to reduce crime and disorder and link together all parts of the community, acting as a highly visible reassuring presence.
Wardens visit schools, day centres, businesses and liaise closely with other agencies and departments within the borough to try to solve problems in the community as quickly and efficiently as possible.
They are able to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (or FPNs) for littering and cycling on pavements.
“They deal with a wide range of anti-social behaviours including everything from littering and dog fouling through to managing our busy town centres and working together with partners to make sure the night-time economy offer is safe for everyone to enjoy.
“The work of an expanded community warden team will strengthen the support they already offer to Thames Valley Police and Parish Councils in our borough and be complemented by our £1.3m investment into a state-of-the-art upgrade to our CCTV network.”
The expansion includes six extra wardens and a new team leader and would continue the current programme to train wardens through the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS).
The scheme could also allow the wardens to use additional powers including making it an offence to give false details to a CSAS-accredited person, power to stop cycling on pavements and to request the surrender of alcohol if involved in anti-social behaviour.
Following the CSAS training programme the Royal Borough will work with the chief constable of Thames Valley Police who would be asked to authorise the use of additional powers.
The expanded team will be funded through existing revenue budgets and would not require any further investment.
The full report can be read on the council’s website at: http://rbwm.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=132&MId=7028