SCOTTISH POLICE FEDERATION
5 Woodside Place, Glasgow, G3 7QF

MEDIA RELEASE

The Scottish Police Federation represents all police officers in the ranks of chief inspector and below, about 15,000 people, over 98% of all police officers in Scotland.

 

To: Date: Subject:

Editor   29 March 2007   The Scottish Executive has published an evaluation of Community Warden Schemes.

 

Evaluation of Community Wardens - SPF Response

Asked about the following aspect of the evaluation:

In areas where wardens are deployed, evaluation of the impact they have had on crime and anti-social behaviour shows:

• In 60% of areas no definitive conclusion could be reached.
• In 23% of areas crime and anti-social behaviour actually rose.
• In 16% of areas it either declined or at least rose slower than it did in comparator areas.

Joe Grant, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation said,

 

“We take no pleasure from this evaluation of community wardens but we have always said that crime and anti-social behaviour are jobs for the police. Whatever else wardens can do, policing should be left to the police.

SPF has always said that the money spent on wardens (£20 million) would have been better spent on the police.  We have seen examples the length and breadth of Scotland – if there is a crime or disorder problem, putting extra police officers on the case fixes it – it's a simple formula.

We should now sit down, look closely at this evaluation and reconsider the deployment, management and funding of wardens. One thing is clear though – crime and anti-social behaviour are matters for the police.”

 

In the Scottish Executive news release, it said that police numbers had increased by 1500 since 1999*, and Mr Grant responded:

“We have 1000 more officers since 1997* – that's 100 a year – spread across 8 forces and the 5 shifts required to provide a 24 hour service that's a very small increase.   New duties related to Terrorism, Sex offenders, Asylum seekers,and ECHR have more than swallowed up that number.”