STREET wardens may soon be patrolling two of the borough's town centres to clear up litter, graffiti and prevent anti-social behaviour.

Bromley Community Safety Partnership, an umbrella group made up of representatives from Bromley Council, the police and other agencies, is expected to approve a £430,000 scheme for four street wardens to patrol the town centres of Hayes and West Wickham.

After five weeks' training from the Home Office, the wardens would then patrol the streets in pairs from 2pm to 10pm.

At a Bromley Police Community Consultative Group meeting held in Malcolm Primary School, in Malcolm Road, Penge, town centre development manager Oliver O'Dell said the wardens would not initially have enforcement powers.

He said: "Street wardens are not funded by police budgets.

"They are not a replacement for police officers or police resources and are not vigilantes."

While London's police constables start on a salary of £20,517 and can earn up to £25,950 before becoming a Sergeant, the street wardens will get around £20,000.

Terry Scovell, vice chairman of the Bromley Police-Community Consultative Group, told residents at the meeting: "We could use the £80,000 (the total salary for the four wardens) to buy three officers who are trained properly and fully to do the job."

But Mr O'Dell insisted the resources were only available for the scheme and "not there for anything else".

Bromley Community Safety Partnership made a successful bid in October to the Home Office for Government funds to cover 50 per cent of the cost of running the scheme from January 2002 to March 2004.

The remaining 50 per cent would have to be found locally from Bromley Council, traders' associations and other groups.

But £64,000 of the local costs can be of a non-financial kind, such as premises and equipment supplied by agencies.

Council leader Councillor Michael Tickner described the scheme as "good" but said it was being introduced because the Government "has no resources for the Met".

After the meeting, acting borough commander Superintendent David White told the News Shopper: "Any additional support which focuses on public reassurance and deters crime is useful."

Bromley Community Safety Partnership Officer Auzra Akhtar said: "What we are trying to do in the long term is make sure we have fewer criminals."

November 20, 2001 14:39

Adrian Kwintner