Portsmouth’s Community Wardens have been recognised for their work with the Police and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS), picking up a highly commended for partnership working in the South East regional warden awards.
Working with the Police and officers from the fire service as part of the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, the Community Wardens help make Portsmouth safer by tackling anti-social behaviour, reducing the risk of deliberate and accidental fires, improving the environment and encouraging people to get involved in their local communities.
The eyes and ears of their neighbourhoods, Community Wardens are a visible and reassuring presence on the streets of Portsmouth, making residents and communities feel safer. They work on a wide range of issues, from tackling fly tipping and spotting arson risks to gathering vital evidence and intelligence to secure anti-social behaviour orders and the closure of ‘crack houses’.
Councillor Jason Fazackarley, cabinet member for environment and community safety said: “This award for the Community Wardens is richly deserved and I’d like to congratulate the team for a job extremely well done.
“The whole team works closely with the Police and officers from the fire and rescue service to make sure we are all pulling together to tackle problems like anti-social behaviour and arson. They make our streets safer and are a friendly face in neighbourhoods across the city. They also work hard to make sure Portsmouth is a clean and pleasant place to live and work.”
Working specifically with officers from HFRS at the Community Contact Point in Kingston Road, the Community Wardens conduct environmental audits of their neighbourhoods and identify hazards such as dumped rubbish that could become a target for arsonists. In 2008, they spotted and helped to resolve 182 risks to life, 126 risks to property and 29 risks to the environment.
Regular joint HFRS and Community Warden patrols have contributed to a 37% reduction in deliberate fires over the past two years. The Community Wardens also collect more than 190 referrals for home fire safety visits each month, mainly from the most vulnerable members of the community, enabling officers from HFRS to carry out safety checks that have resulted in a 46% drop in accidental fires in people’s homes.
By preventing fires and so reducing the number of times HFRS are called out to incidents, it is estimated that the Community Wardens save the city’s fire service at least £120,000 a year.
Assistant Chief Officer Steve Hamm, Head of Community Safety at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The Community Warden Service as a whole works tirelessly with the fire service to spot fire hazards and organise diversionary sporting events for young people. They regularly help us do Environmental Visual Audits in alleys and other areas where rubbish has built up and could be used to start fires by arsonists. As a Service we have set some challenging corporate aims, including a reduction in the number of deliberately set fires in the county by 20% by 2010. The Community Warden patrols go a long way in helping us to achieve our goal.”
Community Wardens also work with the Police, assisting with operations like Operation Born, designed to reduce fear of anti-social behaviour and under-age drinking, and Operation NIMNH (not in my neighbourhood) designed to tackle criminal damage.
In recognition of their hard work and dedication to working with the Police and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, the 34-strong team was highly commended in the category of ‘best example of partnership working’ in the South East Wardens Achievement Awards 2009.
