APPENDIX 21
Supplementary notes submitted by the Association
of Police Authorities following the evidence session on 7 March
2002
COMMUNITY WARDEN
SCHEMES
1. The Association of Police Authorities
(APA) welcomes the invitation from the Home Affairs Committee
to provide further information about existing warden schemes operating
in different parts of the country. Annex A provides a sample of
a number of such schemes, based on returns by police authorities
to a consultation exercise initiated by the APA in the light of
the Home Secretary's proposals for accredited community safety
schemes with limited police powers. The purpose of the consultation
exercise was to find out about community warden schemes currently
operating, to seek views on what is working and what is not, and
to seek views about the Government's proposals to inform a wider
debate.
2. Responses were received from over 20
police authorities in England and Wales. The responses demonstrated
that there are many flourishing community and neighbourhood schemes
currently operating, with a range of different tasks and lines
of accountability. A common theme however, was the importance
of local ownership of the schemes and their objectives.
3. Those who commented on the question of
providing wardens with limited police powers, in general did not
support such powers, and believed they might cause the warden
schemes to be less rather than more effective, despite a recognition
of good intentions behind the proposals. Indeed, they suggest
that such proposals would undermine, not bring about, the desired
outcome for safer more confident communities, for example by confusion
over respective roles and a lessening of confidence in the wardens
if they were perceived to be part of the enforcement structure
rather than part of the community and acting on their behalf.
3. The APA is clear that decisions about
whether and in what form wardens are employed, and other non-police
organisations accredited in some way by the police, must be taken
at local level. Those responsible to local communities for delivering
local priorities must be able to decide the issues in consultation
with their communities—a significant number of police authorities
expressed concern about these approaches being imposed from the
centre on a "one size fits all" basis.
4. We are aware that the Neighbourhood Renewal
Unit and DTLGR are currently undertaking an evaluation of the
neighbourhood warden programme covering the 85 schemes in place.
This work will report in spring 2003. We also know that an evaluation
of the street warden programme is about to be commissioned. This
covers the 123 street warden schemes.
Association of Police Authorities
March 2002
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