A Warwickshire commuter belt town could see private policing through a ‘Community Street Wardens’ scheme.
Kenilworth Police Inspector Richard Woodcock and Warwick District Council (WDC) Community Safety Officer Peter Cutts have been holding talks recently with the directors to a private ‘Community Street Wardens’ security company. This company expect to introduce wardens to the streets of Kenilworth town before the end of this year. While police have historically been suspicious of such public residential space private policing, Warwickshire Police have publicly been neutral. In recent years any private sector effort to make such a scheme has been squashed by police demands that the contractor become Community Safety accredited by the police chief constable, as according to the Police Reform Act 2002.
Residents who elect to pay a fee of £10 per month. In return for this payment the company offer residents access to a ‘Community Street Warden’ service. Members will also have the opportunity to apply to the scheme for funding for a local projects or initiatives. The Community Street Warden scheme will be holding a series of events in the coming months to give residents the opportunity to visit them and ask any questions.
Insp Woodcock said: "This is an interesting initiative by a private company which Warwickshire Police would neither seek to support or discourage. I wish to reassure the local community and inform them of this company, whose wardens should in no way be confused for Warwickshire Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers or Special Constables. Warwickshire Police does not endorse this private company in any way. I welcome any support from members of the public who identify criminal activity, but this should always be reported to the police. Wardens from this company will have no powers to deal with criminal activity and their main role will be to offer private security and confidence patrols, targeted at wherever their customers direct them. Warwickshire Police is committed to protecting people from harm."
WDC Community Safety Manager Peter Cutts added: "We wish the community wardens from this private company well but this is new to all of us. Levels of crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour are falling in Kenilworth and we continue to seek new ways of reducing crime in the area."
Company director to the private Community Warden Scheme John Dagg said: "We provide a wide range of services to our members. Our team has many years of experience working in and running warden schemes in different areas. We are dedicated to providing the best service for our members and so we will be adapting our working practices to meet the needs of the residents in Kenilworth. We not only focus on community safety but also on building stronger communities through running events and funding local projects. Many local businesses are offering our members discounts which will subsidise the cost of the service and help to keep businesses in Kenilworth strong.”
