Wandsworth Council has finally got the green light for uniformed warden patrols in Clapham Junction after three years of battling for Home Office funding.

The council heard last Friday that it had been successful in its bid for government funding under the neighbourhood wardens programme.

An 11-strong team will begin patrolling the streets of Clapham Junction in April next year.

The focus of the scheme which will be the biggest of its kind in the country is to improve quality of life in the area for residents, shoppers and commuters by challenging antisocial behaviour and reducing vandalism and graffiti problems.

Patrols, which will be on the streets six days a week from 8am to 10pm, will cover the local Winstanley and York Road housing estates as well as the main shopping areas.

The scheme aims to cut street crime by 10 per cent and reduce vandalism by 12 per cent over three years in the borough, which has lost 100 police officers in the past seven years.

Although the scheme's long-term costs will be met by the council, the £900,000 start-up will be shared by the council and the Department for Local Government, Transport and the Regions.

Wardens will be linked by radio to the town hall CCTV room staffed by police and council officers.

Cabinet member for environment and public services Councillor Guy Senior said the scheme had the backing of the local police partnership and town centre businesses:

"It's no secret that we've been campaigning for the chance to run this service for a long time.

We've always felt that with the experience of our parks police we were uniquely placed to make this new patrolling model work.

"Shoppers, commuters and residents in Clapham Junction will notice an immediate difference.

This will be a high-profile service which will set out to win the trust of local people.

"The patrollers will have a real job of work to do. They will be part of a renewed onslaught on crime and vandalism in the area

"This is an exciting initiative. The council is delighted to be working with the Police, the Government, the business community and local people with the common aim of reducing crime and the fear of crime."

The programme is part of a £50 million nationwide programme of 100 new schemes comprising 700 wardens designed to stamp out neighbourhood nuisances.

November 6, 2001 10:30