POLICE and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones is tackling anti-social behaviour by funding specialist wardens jointly with councils. 

The commissioner has allocated £750,000 to reduce ASB which will fund specialist wardens employed by local authorities. 

The officers will carry out patrols in hotspot locations identified through police data. A total of £37,500 has been allocated to Winchester. 

The move is a new way to tackle anti-social behaviour in partnership with local authorities to free up police officer time to respond to crimes and emergencies during the busiest period of the year. 
The number of hours and patrols carried out by the ASB wardens will be monitored and reported to the Home Office to track the positive effect and reduction in offending. 

Donna Jones and neighbourhood police team (Image: Contributed)

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Ms Jones said: “The summer is a busy period for policing. Crime reports shows anti-social behaviour increases during the summer months. If not managed, issues can escalate into more serious crimes putting pressure on policing resources.

“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 ensuring the extra police time is spent on responding to crimes in action.”

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 ASB hotspots is very welcome."