Going on the streets with Calderdale's community wardens supporting their neighbourhoods

Where the council’s Community Safety Wardens often have a reactive role as issues arise, the team of Community Wardens are often seen out and about in familiar locations.

Whether it is Boothtown, Southowram, Skircoat Green, Copley, Sowerby Bridge, central Halifax or teams in the upper and lower Calder Valley, they know their patches well.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they have also played a crucial role in promoting crucial information, able to give the right advice and raise vaccine awareness at the heart of their communities.

Two long serving wardens, Jonny Cato and Zameer Akhtar are familiar faces in Park ward, Halifax, based at the Queens Road Neighbourhood Centre.

With Jonny having 12 years in the role and Zameer 15 years, they know their busy area well, often working with partners such as the neighbourhood policing teams and with council colleagues when the need arises.

Jonny said in Park ward said the wardens provide highly visible local contact, also able to resolve any language issues.

Zameer said: “Any problem, they come and talk to us and they are very comfortable with us.”

Being an integral part of the community means they have a strong local connection that stretches beyond work hours.

“I go to the Mosque and people talk to me – people know me, and can talk to me,” he said.

This means wardens are able to tackle issues in the community before they escalate to a higher level, he said.

One example is fly-tipping where the wardens are able to use their local knowledge to advise and occasionally and if necessary cajole people into clearing it up.

The recent successful prosecution of Bradford man Malcolm Pinder, who had often fly tipped waste in Halifax, had been a talking point helping deter anyone who might be thinking about illegally dumping waste, said Zameer.

“Now the chap’s been prosecuted, word has got around,” he said.

Queens Road is a busy thoroughfare and calling in to the shops and businesses is regular part of the wardens’ routine in the ward, for example at the Pearl Supermarket, run by Muhammed Waqas.

Jonny said through the pandemic during visits the wardens were able to talk to give educational, socially-distanced talks to people about the issues and about vaccines and vaccination.

The wardens were trusted contacts for people, out on the ground. “Any problems, people will come to us first,” he said.

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