g l a s g o w m a n c h e s t e r s h e f f i e l d e x e t e r evaluation of the impact and...

G L A S G O W • M A N C H E S T E R • S H E F F I E L D • E X E T E R

Evaluation of the Impact and Implementation of Community

Wardens Keith Hayton and Vincent Percy

GEN Consulting

12th September 2007


Structure

• Outline some of the key issues in evaluating the wardens and the approach we took;

• Look at the relations with the police;

• Outline the theoretical models developed to explain change; and

• Draw conclusions about impact.


Evaluating Wardens

• Key issue is identifying what would have happened without the intervention.

• Can never know so attempts are made to have a reference case – a policy off scenario.


Additional Evaluation Issues

• Crime and antisocial behaviour are high on the agenda – multiplicity of initiatives;

• Crime statistics cover less than half of crimes; and

• Scottish Crime Reporting Standard resulted in number of minor crimes increasing.


Impact Evaluation

• Analysis of monitoring frameworks;• Analysis of crime statistics;• Surveys of scheme managers;• Analysis of wardens activities;• Postal survey of wardens• 9 case studies;• 2 control areas;• Focus groups with young and older people; and• Base and endline perception surveys in the case study and

control areas.


Wardens and the police

• At the start a common view was that the money would be better given for additional police;

• Over time this view tended to change, to be replaced by a call for more wardens in adjacent areas; and

• This reflected the way the wardens operated: as a visible presence on the streets, and being the “eyes and ears” of public agencies.


Police Attitudes

The attitudes of the police tended to vary:-

• Generally the police made use of the wardens to provide them with intelligence about such things as drug dealing - often this had been acted upon; and

• Elsewhere the police tended to be more antagonistic, seeing the wardens as being pretend police (“PC Wanabees) and often questioning the need for them.

However, the latter were in the minority.


Enforcement Powers• A move to give wardens powers to serve fixed penalty notices

for such offences as dog fouling and littering -opinions split on this;

• Overall view was that if there was a general move to giving such powers then the warden-community dynamic could change, especially their relationship with young people, come to be identified with the police; and

• Accordingly this needs to be approached with caution.


Explaining Change (1) • Developed a number of theories to explain

change in statistical indicators:-

• Rise and fall:-– Confidence;– Misplaced Confidence; and– Displacement.


Explaining Change (2) • Fall (positive intervention);• Neutral:-

– No impact;

– Spillover (impact diffuses into other areas);

– Compensation (additional resources allocated to adjacent areas)

• . Rise:-– Rise (positive); and

– Rise (negative).


The Case Studies

• In the case study areas there was anecdotal, statistical and survey evidence that the wardens were having a positive impact on levels and perceptions of crime and ASB:-

• 1 scheme clear statistical and survey evidence of impact:• 2 schemes some statistical evidence of impact, backed up by

surveys;• 4 schemes lack of comparators BUT survey evidence was

positive as was change on some statistical indicators; and• 2 schemes no statistical evidence of impact.


Perception surveys

• Not a simple picture BUT:-

• Quality of life had improved in the case study areas;• Less positive when compared to the 2 controls;• When compared to the wider area then half of the indicators

had improved at a faster rate in the case study areas.

Overall conclusion was that wardens were having a positive impact on perceptions of crime and feelings of personal safety.


Other players

• Wardens, managers, police and wider community felt there was a positive impact:-

• Reduction in crime and ASB;

• Perceptions; and

• Changes in partners’ working practices.


Conclusions

• The wardens were having a positive impact on quality of life in their patrol areas.

• Not a pattern that was consistent across all schemes or all types of ASB.

• Yet it was a conclusion reached by drawing on a number of complementary and reinforcing sources of evidence.


Lessons

• The wardens provide a visible and reassuring presence for residents;

• They take action and deal with low level nuisances either directly or by getting others involved; and

• In areas where conditions are more extreme the wardens’ roles tends to be less direct (intelligence) but can still have an impact.


The Report

The full report can be accessed at:-

• http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/22104147/0

g l a s g o w m a n c h e s t e r s h e f f i e l d e x e t e r evaluation of the impact and...

Documents

d e x e t e r wardens

d e x e t e r police

d e x e t e r evaluation

d e x e t e r conclusions

d e x e t e r lessons

n c h e s t e r s h

s g o w

positive impact