Neighbourhood foot patrols are being stepped up by Moray Council in an attempt to stamp out anti-social behaviour from housing estates.
Until recently the local authority had just two community wardens responsible for fly-tipping, noise complaints, neighbour disputes, littering and countless other things.
Now, following a recruitment drive since late last year, the team is five-strong and ready to take a more proactive approach.
Community wardens are due to start more foot patrols in towns and villages across Moray to talk to residents about their worries.
The Press and Journal joined two members of the team on the beat in Elgin and Buckie to hear about the most pressing issues facing locals, including;
- Why they hope targeted community warden foot patrols will help them reduce anti-social behaviour across Moray.
- The problem areas they keep the closest watch on in Elgin.
- What the most common type of complaints they deal with are.
- And how they speak to communities to try and address problem behaviour and reduce complaints.
How foot patrols could help reduce anti-social behaviour across Moray
Previously, Moray Council’s community wardens were active in their approach to reducing anti-social behaviour.
However, being reduced to just two members of staff forced them to work on a purely reactional basis instead of being on the front foot.
It has meant that the team has been reduced to dealing with the complaints that are made instead of spotting any problems themselves.
Now, bolstered by the new recruits, it means they are hitting the streets again on patrol.
Community warden Chris Haywood said: “We’re the boots on the ground, dealing with all the complaints from members of the public.
“In the future we want to get back to being more proactive, starting foot patrols again, engaging with the public.
“This time last year it was just me and someone else so we were really just running around dealing with as many complaints as we could.”
Wardens monitoring Elgin bus station and Cooper Park
The Press and Journal joined Mr Haywood and his colleague Mark Crowley on a foot patrol in Elgin and Buckie to see what issues they tackle every day.
The first place the duo take us to is Elgin bus station, which has been seen as the focal point for anti-social behaviour in the town for several years.
Mr Crowley said: “There was a lot of youth ASB (anti-social behaviour) here for a while, but it seems to have settled down a bit now, touch wood.
“We just come through here so they know we’re about. Sometimes it can stop a situation developing to the point where it might need police intervention.”
Following the recent closure of the St Giles Centre, the bus station has become more isolated from the High Street.
There have also been worries the abandoned shopping centre could become another target for anti-social behaviour as well as urban explorers.
Mr Haywood said: “Fortunately there hasn’t been any of that so far. I think us being here most days and the police being here most evenings has helped with that.”
Next it was on to Cooper Park where there has been a trend of vandalism in recent months.
Offensive graffiti is also on the team’s watchlist to ensure the area is looking its best for locals and visitors alike.
Chris said: “If it’s offensive then we would proactively arrange to have that removed ourselves, especially in a place like Cooper Park.
“Generally it is just graffiti on council buildings that we look out for, otherwise it would be the owner who would be responsible.
“There was one occasion in Keith though where a man had graffiti on his front door alleging that he was a paedophile.
“I think we decided it was going to cause more issues leaving it, so we had that one removed.”
Speaking to communities to solve neighbour disputes and shared problems together
We’ve moved to a residential area of Buckie, which the community wardens will be keeping an eye on in the coming months.
Without doubt what Mr Haywood and Mr Crowley spend most of their time dealing with are neighbour complaints in all their forms.
It could be a dispute over a broken fence, it could be pets getting into gardens, it could be about too much noise – the list is endless.
Last year’s Moray Council anti-social behaviour report highlighted a “greater lack of tolerance” in communities for just general living noise.
It is believed an increase in home working could be behind the rise.
The community wardens say it’s generally only advice they can offer to households, although with council tenants they do have more powers if problems continue.
Mr Haywood said: “People can be quite receptive to advice. Sometimes they’re not even aware of the problem so that itself can make a difference.”
For the neighbourhood patrol though, the team is keeping a vigilant eye out for anything that appears potentially troublesome.
Mr Haywood added: “We’ve divided Moray so we’ve each got our own areas, I cover Buckie so I’m quite familiar with the types of complaints here.
“In this area it’s a lot of minor stuff from kids, things like knock-a-door run, you get a bit of graffiti and they just gather in groups while not up to particularly much but it’s still enough to alarm some residents.
“We try and do two things, just to be that visual deterrent so that people maybe think twice before doing anything.
“By being out in the community we also want to show we’re more approachable too though, make people more comfortable talking to us about what’s going on.”
Rising fly-tipping complaints for Moray community wardens
Fly-tipping is another issue on the increase across Moray from the complaints being reported to the community wardens.
Household rubbish and mounds of tyres, which are expensive to dispose of correctly, are among the most common items dumped.
However, the team has also had to deal with washing machines, asbestos and 10 tonnes of rubble that appeared to be from a graveyard in previous years.
Mr Haywood said: “It’s definitely on the increase again. I don’t know if it’s because people don’t want to go to the dumps or they’re open less.
“Just being out and about can help though. I came across a bike dumped in a bus stop one day.
“In cases like that we can just lift it straight away and take it to the dump ourselves. Job done.”
Read more from Elgin
- A night on the front line combatting anti-social behaviour in Elgin with police
- Where will the 1,600 homes go? When will new primary school open? Big questions answered about the Findrassie housing development
- How Elgin Golf Club has plotted recovery from devastating embezzlement that left much-loved institution on the brink
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