Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has released £750,000 to help tackle anti-social behaviour this summer by funding specialist ASB wardens jointly with councils across Hampshire and Isle of Wight, including £37,500 for Winchester city centre.
In Winchester, this is supporting additional patrols by Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) Rangers and Winchester City Council Neighbourhood Services Officers. The funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight provides the opportunity to conduct targeted ASB patrols whilst monitoring and reporting to the Home Office to track the positive affect and reduction in offending.
Jane Bastock, Business Crime Reduction Manager at Winchester BID said: “We welcome this funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner which facilitates additional patrols specifically to tackle ASB in the city centre. We continue to work closely with local Police and the City Council’s Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety team to achieve the best outcome.”
Cllr Martin Tod, Leader of Winchester City Council said: “Winchester City Council’s community wardens already work closely with the BID Rangers and the Police to tackle anti-social behaviour in the city, but there are extra pressures in the summer so this extra funding for high-visibility patrols in the ASB hotspots is very welcome.”
Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and Isle of Wight said: “The public have told me they want ASB to reduce and by working with councils I’ve been able to ensure we have more boots on the ground in the right locations to prevent anti-social behaviour. The presence of uniformed ASB wardens has been proven to have a positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour. These dedicated wardens will reduce the pressure on police officers responding to ASB, whilst working closely with neighbourhood policing teams to ensure the extra police time is spent on responding to crimes in action.”
The £750,000 was part of a £1.4 million grant from the Home Office to the Police and Crime Commissioner. The money was allocated to police forces by the previous government to specifically tackle anti-social behaviour, drive down crime in hotspot areas and boost public confidence.
For more information, please visit: hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/police-commissioner-donna-jones-releases-750k-for-community-wardens-to-prevent-a-spike-in-anti-social-behaviour-over-the-summer-period
Photograph: From left to right, members of the Winchester City Council Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety team, Chief Inspector Korine Bishop, Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, Inspector Matt Kirby and members of the Winchester BID team.
