BASILDON’S community warden scheme will be extended for another year after successfully making residents “feel as safe as possible”.

The wardens were introduced last year to tackle anti-social behaviour across the borough’s estates, town centres and parks.

The scheme was due to end this month but is set to be extended at a cabinet meeting on Thursday after being branded a huge success.

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Tory Andrew Baggott, who is council leader and councillor responsible for enforcement and public order, said: “Community safety is a top priority for me.

“I know it is something that residents feel strongly about, and it is something we are tackling as we look to extend the community safety wardens scheme.

“We want our residents to feel as safe as possible wherever they are in our borough, and that’s why our wardens work within our estates as well as our more public town centre and park areas.”

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The community safety wardens undertake high-visibility patrols in trouble areas They have also proactively identified community issues in the area, and shared information with relevant partners to promote a multi-agency problem-solving response.

Mr Baggott added: “They aren’t just there to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour directly, their remit includes the presence and the positive relationships they have built, and will continue to build, by engaging with the community, acting as a deterrent to crime and improving community cohesion.

“The wardens will continue to work closely with Safer Basildon and our partners within it, attending daily briefings as well as weekly meetings with council officers, to determine prioritisation as well as reflect and learn to make sure the service is the best it can be for the benefit of our borough.”

If approved, the scheme will be extended until March 2024.

The teams of wardens have also been tackling the behaviour covered by the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) implemented in April 2022, a legal order to tackle anti-social behaviour that covers specific restricted areas of the borough.