Council partnership with local businesses extends wardens hours
With the help of bars and clubs in Shoreditch Hackney's wardens are spending more time on the streets helping to make them safer and cleaner.
Hackney Council has teamed up with 24 bars, clubs and pubs in the area. The socially responsible businesses have clubbed together to voluntarily put more than £35,000 per year towards covering the cost of extending the number of wardens and their time on the streets, from midnight to 4am, Friday to Sunday for twelve months.
An extended scheme has been successfully operating in Dalston for the last two years. Twenty four clubs and bars have been putting around £25,000 a year to part fund the wardens with the Council. In that time the extra hours that the wardens have been out on the streets has helped tackle the noise and anti-social behaviour that can be part of a busy area in the early hours of the morning. The wardens have also been enforcing against those who use the street as a toilet.
I am really pleased that we are working with the pubs and clubs in Shoreditch. We want people to come to Hackney and enjoy their night out. The Wardens help the Council balance the night life in Shoreditch and the needs of local residents, helping make Hackney a cleaner and safer place to be. Their presence at weekends for longer hours out on the street in Dalston has had an impact. By working with some of the bars, clubs and pubs in Shoreditch we have been able to extend the wardens hours so that the area can benefit from more weekend patrols.
More than 500 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) and warnings have been given for urinating in public, noise nuisance, littering and street drinking. The wardens have also worked with the bars so they can maintain appropriate order on the perimeters of their premises. The ongoing co-operation between the wardens and staff in bars and clubs has led to a closer relationship between the Council and businesses ensuring a better understanding of the issues affecting the area.
The 16-strong team has certain powers that are delegated to them by the Metropolitan Police Service including the seizing of alcohol and dealing with disorderly behaviour. Thirty nine powers have been granted in total, more than any other warden service in the country. The wardens act as a key point of contact for residents on matters of community safety and they help to address a variety of environmental and safety issues affecting communities, including concerns about anti-social behaviour, littering or broken street lighting helping to prevent crime and maintaining safety on the streets.
Patrick O’Riordan, chair of the Shoreditch night time economy group said: “As a membership body, many of the businesses within the Shoreditch Pubwatch have been established in Shoreditch for over 20 years, and as responsible venue operators we are very keen to contribute towards making Shoreditch and Hackney a safer and cleaner place to live and visit. Investing in the wardens is a key part in this, and we will continue to work with the police, council and residents to help realise this goal.”
The wardens can help to address issues affecting the community. Anyone wanting to get in touch with their neighbourhood warden, or invite them to a community event or group meeting, can call: 020 8356 6867 (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday); or wardens@hackney.gov.uk
In an emergency call 999; to report a non-emergency crime call 101.