POLICE and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones is tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) by funding specialist wardens jointly with councils across the police force area. 

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 ASB hotspot locations identified through police data. A total of £37,500 has been allocated to Basingstoke. 

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. 

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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 John McKay, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet member for communities, partnerships and inclusion, said: “We are committed to funding our community safety patrol officers. This responds to residents telling us that the level of crime and antisocial behaviour plays a large role in making them feel their area is a good place to live. We work in close partnership with the police to tackle antisocial behaviour throughout the borough and this funding from the police and crime commissioner has enabled us to provide additional patrols in our identified antisocial hotspot area. This increased presence by the council’s police accredited community safety patrol officers has provided additional reassurance to our residents, businesses and visitors.”