CSAS across Thames Valley
There are a number of CSAS schemes operating across the Thames Valley Police area.
Cherwell District Council
A scheme with the Community Wardens was established in 2014 and has been working well ever since.
The wardens carry out high visibility patrols throughout the Cherwell district, provide community safety advice and support to residents and partner agencies and carry out anti-social behaviour investigations and take enforcement action if necessary. The warden team work in partnership with local police and partners to tackle ASB, crime and disorder.
The wardens have the following to say about their accreditation and powers:
“I have found the power to photograph persons away from the police station, along with the requirement for them to give their names for ASB, very useful. It has meant I have been able to find out more about the person to highlight them to the neighbourhood team so they are on their radar as well. It’s also been useful for safeguarding purposes as I have been able to follow up with their caregivers in person and in writing.” Yvonne Jaggs, Community Warden.
“The thing that has been most beneficial for me is the fact that it has enabled us to work in partnership with the local neighbourhood team, to share information and submit intelligence where there are known hotspots of ASB activity.”
“The CSAS qualification has given us greater credibility with officers and frontline partners such as police, social care, housing providers, fire service, schools, etc. We are looked upon as trusted professionals and our input is valued.” Trudie Rose, Community Warden.
“The CSAS qualification means we have access to the police station and police radios, which is beneficial to us so we can be made aware of any ‘live’ issues whilst patrolling. It has also meant we can assist with searches for missing persons and vulnerable individuals.”
“Our CSAS accreditation has enabled us to be invited to be included in joint operations with TVP and other agencies, such as Border Force and Immigration, giving them useful local knowledge that has led to arrests.” Helen Inskip, Community Warden.
“We’re able to patrol as a uniformed presence alongside PCSOs and PCs from our local neighbourhood teams, as well as on our own, to deter and disrupt ASB activity. We have had lots of positive feedback whilst on patrol from local residents and business to state how pleased they are to see foot patrols in uniform and how reassuring they find it.” Yvonne Jaggs, Community Warden.
The Parks Trust, Milton Keynes
The Parks Trust are a private company and independent charity that look after over 6,000 acres of parks and green spaces in Milton Keynes.
Working in partnership with Thames Valley Police and Milton Keynes City Council, the Park Enforcement Officers have a number of accredited powers and the authority to issue fixed penalty notices. The fines are administered by the local council and any income is reinvested in community safety initiatives.
Frank Gill (Head of Operations and Forestry): “The Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) has enabled The Parks Trust to employ two Parks Enforcement Officers who have the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for incidents such as littering and dog fouling. The Officers spend most of their time in the Parks patrolling and engaging with members of the public about park safety. The CSAS scheme allows the Trust to handle certain issues with formality and with the capacity to take authoritative action with the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices. However, aligning with the Trust's caring nature, it is at our Officers' discretion to either educate and allow members of public to rectify the issue or to issue a fine. The Enforcement Officers also support other departments in delivering safer activities, such as third party events licensed by the Community Engagement team. Feedback from park users has been very positive, seeing the Parks Enforcement Officers patrolling and being able to deal with issues as they arise has led to an increase in public safety across the city's parkland.”
Enforcement Officers: “CSAS accreditation has significantly enhanced our ability to manage behaviour and safety across all of our parks. It allows us to record contact information for anti-social behaviour, issue Fixed Penalty Notices, educate the public on the alcohol related Public Space Protection Order and confiscate alcohol from underage individuals, particularly during busy events.”
“It also strengthens our authority in situations beyond CSAS specific powers, such as dealing with fly tipping, homelessness, land encroachments and evictions of illegal encampments. The accreditation has improved how we work with other agencies and has given us greater credibility when engaging with the public as well as partners. Overall, it gives our team a stronger presence and ensures our actions are taken seriously.”
Buckinghamshire Council
The warden team carry out high visibility patrols in the town centres of Aylesbury and High Wycombe to deter crime and anti-social behaviour. The powers under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme assist the wardens by allowing them to use appropriate enforcement tools together with their powers to deal with the perpetrators of persistent ASB.
Insp Gehnich: “In Buckinghamshire the Street Wardens give the Police an extra level of support. They are able to be present in the town centres, have rapport with members of the community who might not engage with Police and as a result guide our resources more effectively. In Buckinghamshire we have a Teams chat setup with the Street Wardens, CCTV team and Town Centre Police officers. This gives us effective communication, to share live updates on sightings, requests for sightings, safety updates and general awareness. The Buckinghamshire Neighbourhood team have adopted the Street Wardens and CCTV into our briefing twice a week to enable further information sharing to promote effective team work and safety of officers/wardens on the street. The Wardens are positive about their work and engaging with officers.”