Street Warden News

Beggars and drunks can make people feel uncomfortable and unsafe in their town centre – but Great Yarmouth’s street wardens are constantly monitoring this situation for any sign of real problems.

The wardens work with the town centre police officer to deal with aggressive begging – which may mean someone simply sitting in a doorway with a bowl at his feet.

The wardens try to act in accordance with the seriousness of the problem, and may just ask the beggar whether he or she needs help  - in which case the beggar may be directed to social services.

However, if someone is acting in a way which makes people feel uncomfortable – e.g urinating in a public place – the wardens may feel it is appropriate to call the police.

Drinking alcohol in the town centre is prohibited by bylaw, and again the wardens will attempt to have a quiet word with anyone caught flouting these regulations.

But if the person refuses to stop drinking, or becomes abusive, the wardens will seek assistance from the police, who at the very least are likely to confiscate the alcohol.

The wardens have persevered in their work with a small contingent of drunkards who were habitually congregating in the town centre. Eventually they decided they would be better off looking for somewhere quieter to drink.

The street wardens also help counter other types of anti-social behaviour, including youngsters skating over the war memorial in the park.