controversial service aims to make city safer and cleaner

Wardens will start patrolling today

By Calum Ross

Published:

READY TO GO: Aberdeen’s new city wardens service combines the roles of community, parking and environmental wardens. Kevin Emslie

Aberdeen’s new city wardens were due to start patrolling streets today as the controversial scheme gets up and running after a long delay.

The council service, which combines the roles of community wardens, parking patrollers and environmental wardens, was supposed to be launched last April but has been beset with problems.

A long-running dispute with trade unions, as well as recruitment difficulties, delayed its introduction, but the council said yesterday that the new service would make the city safer and cleaner.

High-visibility patrols will be carried out by the wardens from 7am to 10.30pm.

Parking and litter patrols which previously concentrated on the city centre will now be rolled out throughout Aberdeen.

Senior city warden Jim Barry said: “My colleagues and I are really looking forward to getting out and about in the communities and getting to know people there.

“We will make Aberdeen a nicer, safer and cleaner place to live and work.

“We want to communicate with the public and to find out where the problems are. We will take action to make things better.”

There will be 74 city wardens, including 12 senior wardens, although only 55 are in place after several community wardens and parking patrollers walked out amid concerns for their safety at night. A recruitment drive is under way to fill the remaining posts.

The new service was inspired by an Australian scheme which impressed councillors John Stewart and Neil Fletcher while on holiday Down Under.

Mr Stewart said: “I really am pleased to be welcoming this new, city-wide service, which will be so important in helping to establish links with local communities and make people feel more secure.”

Opposition Labour councillor Willie Young was concerned about the new service. “This is a disappointing step backwards for Aberdeen,” he said.

“Community wardens, while working for the police, were trusted by the community and I have grave concerns about the benefits to the public of this city warden scheme.”