Crime & Crime & Communities
The Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme Evaluation
The Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme was launched as a joint Department of Environment, Transport & Regions/Home Office initiative in 2000. A total of 84 schemes were funded to March 2003. Funding was subsequently extended to March 2004. This report summarises the findings of the national evaluation of the Neighbourhood Wardens Programme, carried out between June 2001 and May 2003.
Title: Neighbourhood Wardens Scheme Evaluation
Author: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
Series: Research Report 8 (Research Summary 8)
Number of pages: 88 (Summary=12)
Date published: April 2004
Availability: Download full report 
PDF 944Kb (Summary 175Kb)
Background
Neighbourhood Wardens are a neighbourhood level uniformed, semi-official patrolling presence. Schemes are located across England and Wales and predominantly in deprived urban areas. There is no typical wardens scheme. Schemes vary in the problems they aim to tackle, their objectives and the way in which they are managed and operate. Most, however, have reduction of crime, fear of crime and anti-social behaviour, and environmental improvements as core objectives. The majority of schemes are located in areas that are subject to other neighbourhood renewal initiatives, for example, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Single Regeneration Budget and Drug Action Teams providing opportunities for wardens to work with and complement other programmes.
The most distinctive feature of the Neighbourhood Wardens Programme is that unlike many neighbourhood renewal activities, wardens are community based in and about the streets and estates in which they work. Their advantage lies in their accessibility to people, allowing information sharing about activities and resources and enabling them to listen to problems, worries and news from local residents. Wardens form a 'soft 'rather than 'hard 'interface between people and agencies. They are a new generation of neighbourhood officials that know the problems, face the people, and take the action.
Selected Findings
In relation to impact on crime, residents survey evidence suggests that there has been a considerable decline (27.6%) in the overall rate of crime in warden areas. This compares to a slight increase (4.7%) in crime in the comparator areas. Although residents living in wardens areas appear to be doing relatively well in terms of improvements in crime, they remain at a higher risk of being a victim of crime than the national average.
The overriding message from the evaluation is that in successful schemes, wardens can and are having an impact. Key impacts include:
increased resident satisfaction
reduced fear of crime, particularly for older people
considerable decline in the overall rate of residents experiencing crime
perceived improvement in environmental problems such as graffiti, fly-tipping, litter and dog fouling
a small decline in residents perceiving youth anti-social behaviour (ASB)as a problem
Schemes that are working well have a number of common features:
tailored and flexible approaches
involvement of a wide variety of stakeholders
resident participation
active and representative steering groups
consistent scheme management
ability to develop and nurture partnerships
ability to maximise wardens' visibility
targeted approach to the vulnerable
high-quality wardens
ongoing practical training.
Government funding for these schemes ended in March 2004; sole responsibility for wardens' funding now lies with schemes themselves. Of the 84 schemes examined, over 70% have sustainable funding in place and 20% fully expect to do so. Of the 5 schemes that may not continue beyond March 2004, 2 are converting to Police Community Support Officers.
Police in case study areas were generally positive about warden's role in crime reduction, for example, encouraging residents to report crime, improving residents' perceptions of the police, freeing up police time by dealing with minor incidents, working collaboratively on crime prevention initiatives, and improving intelligence.
Getting a copy
Both the full 88-page report and a 12-page summary are available on the ODPM Neighbourhood website.
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Last update: Wednesday, September 17, 2008