Wardens set to walk crime beat

Published on 5th April 2007 in News

Community wardens could be patrolling crime hotspots in Goole by the autumn if a funding bid is successful, Goole Town councillors were told at Monday's meeting.

Sally Burns, head of housing and public protection at the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC), updated Goole Town Council (GTC) on plans to bring wardens to the town.

Ms Burns said £60,000 had been made available through GTC and housing associations, and another bid had been made for the rest of the money.

"We'll know shortly if the application got past the first stage," she said.

"If we get the lottery bid, we'll have more than enough."

Other sources are also being investigated as back-up.

The ERYC's strategy committee will have to agree to the scheme and after this, recruiting and training staff will take three to four months.

September was given as a rough guide for their being on the streets.

"I want to have them around while the Adelphi warehouse is being knocked down," said Ms Burns, referring to one of the aims of the Advance Goole project.

A quality-of-life survey will be carried out among the residents in the areas to be patrolled, in order to give a base-line for measuring improvement, and GTC offered the use of their website and newsletter to do that.

Ms Burns said that crime hotspots could be mapped out but it would be up to residents to say what they wanted wardens to focus on, and where.

A community warden scheme that has been running in Bridlington for several months has been evaluated and Ms Burns said it showed a significant reduction in crime.

"The residents feel safer, too," she said.

Turning back to the Goole project, she said: "The key thing is for us to find the funding. I'm confident we'll get it."