Buckinghamshire County Council
The Capable Guardian - An Exploration
of Community Safety Options
Chris Oliver
Safer Communities
Bucks County Council
Madeleine Howe
Locality Manager
Bucks County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Context
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TVP Neighbourhood Policing Review
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Reductions in Police Community Support Officers – Intensive Engagement
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Reduction in contribution to PCSOs from County and other local councils
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Autumn statement/ Police Allocation Formula
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Building Community Capacity
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Police Reform consultation - ‘volunteer PCSOs’.
The Home Office is proposing to set out in a single piece of legislation the core
list of powers that will only be available to those that hold the office of
constable. Beyond these core powers, police forces would be given a more
flexible workforce and, subject to key safeguards, chief officers would be able
to designate other police powers to staff.
The proposals included in the consultation are to:
1. Enable chief officers to designate a wider range of powers on police staff
and volunteers;
2. Create a list of ‘core’ police powers that would remain exclusive to police
officers;
3. Take an order-making power to enable Parliament to add to the list of those
‘core’ powers;
4. Enable volunteers to be designated with powers in the same way as staff;
5. Adopt new titles for the changed support role and the new volunteer role;
and
6. Abolish the office of traffic warden under the Road Traffic Acts.
The consultation closed on 31 October 2015
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Buckinghamshire County Council
What Are The Options?
1. Full Funding of Police/Police Support Officer? +/-’s
2. Community/Neighbourhood/Parish Warden – Paid/Voluntary? With
or Without Powers?
3. CSAS Accredited persons?
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Assessment
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Community Warden[s] employed direct by local councils, tasks that
might be performed:
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Low level anti social behaviour
Engagement with schools and youth clubs in the area
Liaison with the Police using appropriate communications
Co-ordinate Emergency/Resilience Plan & ensure details up to date
Monitor sites at risk of fly tipping and inform Police/Local Council
Monitor condition of roads, footways and PROW, inform County
Highways of defects and follow up progress
Check on playground equipment, street furniture and street lights
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Continued…
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Know where vulnerable members of the community live and ensure a ‘good
neighbour’ approach exists
Acting as Co-ordinator of Volunteers
If suitably qualified, become First Responders
Liaise with wardens in other parishes to provide mutual support and cover
Attend parish council meetings to report and take further instruction
The above are in addition to any activities that might be accredited by the
Chief Constable
Note – Parking Enforcement is not included
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Costs
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Standard costs set for 2016/17 at around £34k per annum per PCSO
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Community/Neighbourhood Warden (paid) circa. 17-21k + on-costs,
+equipment/uniform/transportation
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Shared costs?
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Wardens – Pros & Cons
Wardens employed, deployed and managed direct by an individual town or
parish council
Advantage – costs easier to manage, direct deployment and more likely to be
focussed on the area taking ‘ownership’ of the Council’s requirements
Disadvantage – additional staff supervision and cover if a single employee
Employed by a hub town or parish council on behalf of a cluster of parishes
Advantage – shares costs and creates capacity if more than one employee
Disadvantage – possible difficulty ensuring that parish councils agree on work
programme and terms of employment
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Sussex Example
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These would be apportioned using individual parish tax bases eg
Tax base
Warden incl.emp costs
Town A
3,000
Parish B
600
Parish C
300
Parish D
100
4,000
£28,000
Cost per Band D property across the cluster
£7.00
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Examples of Practice – TVP & Beyond
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Oxford City – Students, CSAS - ASB powers
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Cherwell - Bicester Village, CSAS Road Traffic powers
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Milton Keynes Parish Wardens – Shenley – No powers
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West Berks – No CSAS accreditation
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Aylesbury/Surrey – Street Angels
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Evidence Base – Community Wardens
“Evaluation of the Impact and Implementation of Community Wardens” - Keith
Hayton, Chris Boyd, Martin Campbell, Karen Crawford, Kathleen Latimer, Sharon
Lindsay and Vincent Percy (at GEN Consulting) 2007
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“given the relatively modest costs associated with the warden schemes and
the high costs associated with many of the criminal and antisocial incidents
that they are likely to have prevented (plus the less tangible benefits to
quality of life), they represent good value for money.”
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“Our conclusion is, therefore, that there is evidence from a number of
sources, statistical, survey and anecdotal, that the wardens are having a
positive impact on the quality of life in their targeted areas”
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Evidence base – Street Angels
Some evidence to show examples of how a project such as Street Angels can impact a
community or how the Binge Drink culture has changed since 2005:
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Chichester - 58 per cent reduction in anti-social behaviour on Friday nights and an
82 per cent drop in assaults with injury on a Saturday night – are based on a
comparison between 2011 and 2013 - report
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40% crime reduction in Hitchin in first six months of Street Angels - report
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57% crime reduction in Halifax town centre since Street Angels launched - report
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Dramatic fall in violent crime in Cleethorpes - report
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Anti Social Behaviour down by 25% in North Yorkshire - report
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Sexual offences cut by 48% in West Yorkshire – report
Source: Christian Nightlife Initiative Network website – accessed 23/111/2015
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Legal Context
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General Power Of Competence
The General Power of Competence (GPC) is an important legislative
statement that councils have the power to do anything an individual may
do, unless specifically prohibited.
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Legal advice & support
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Buckinghamshire County Council
So what next?
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Is there an appetite?
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What option/options are preferred?
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Bucks CC work up framework for further consultation
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Timeline – realistically November ‘16 in time for precept setting.
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Buckinghamshire County Council
Thank you
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