Meet the team who are going to make Middlesbrough’s streets safer and help its most in-need residents in receiving support.
Middlesbrough Council has completed its Street Warden recruitment drive and the successful applicants have visited the Town Hall and met Mayor Andy Preston who has made community safety a top priority.
The 24 wardens will soon begin a period of training before hitting the streets.
The role involves intervening on unacceptable behaviour, supporting vulnerable people and being a visible frontline responder.
Street Wardens wear body-worn cameras, have the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices and have also recently begun carrying naloxone kits – a drug that reverses the effects of an overdose.
By administering the drug the wardens, who are trained in first aid, have already saved the lives of a number of people in Middlesbrough in a short space of time.
Other ongoing community safety issues in Middlesbrough include the introduction of new Community Enforcement Vehicles, a consultation on a Public Space Protection Order for TS1 and extra powers for Street Wardens.
Mr Preston said: “Middlesbrough has been crying out for these Street Wardens and I’m chuffed we’ve managed to take on a brilliant bunch of local people who really care and want to help make Middlesbrough better.
“I really believe the Street Wardens can make a big difference and play an important role in the regeneration of the town centre.
“Enforcement will be important because we don’t want bad behaviour bringing the place down, but there’s so much more to the job than that – helping and supporting those that need it might be even more important.
“I was dead proud to meet the group and I’m looking forward to getting to know them all better once they get started.”
