Street Warden News

Two former shop managers, an ex-traffic warden and an ex-nightclub manager make up Great Yarmouth’s four-strong street warden force – and town centre manager Jonathan Newman wouldn’t swap them for anyone.

"Some people think you could put anyone in the appropriate uniform and they could go out there and do the job, but that’s just nonsense. You have to have the right people with the right attitude and the right personality to do this job.

"You have got to be fairly thick-skinned because you’re bound to get abuse thrown at you by shoplifters and kids, and you’ll probably encounter a bit of anti-social behaviour in the town.

"At the same time you’ve also got to be knowledgeable and outgoing as well. You’ve got to be willing to help people in distress.

"Ideally you tend to be looking for people with a bit of experience of life, maybe people who’ve done a few jobs and worked in a customer service environment – people who are used to thinking for themselves and using their initiative.

"We’ve got a wonderful team – and their great strength is that they are all good communicators with people."