Neighbourhood security patrols ... made simple

Neighbourhood security is no longer split between police officers and neighbourhood watch schemes. As a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report said last month, policing has become "increasingly fragmented and multi-tiered" in recent years, with police community support officers, neighbourhood wardens and private security companies filling the places where ordinary police don't always reach.

There is some crossover between these roles, but funding constraints mean councils or housing associations often have to choose between them.

Communiy support officers
The police launched the community support officers scheme in 2002. There are 3500 police community support officers (CSOs) in England and Wales and this will rise to 4000 next year. They can be allocated to certain areas if an organisation such as a housing association will match Home Office funding.

CSOs do not have the same powers as regular officers, and typical duties include gathering intelligence and patrolling, which reassures the public. They can also issue penalty tickets for things like litter and dog fouling, confiscate alcohol being drunk in public and take the names and addresses of people acting antisocially – and last week, a proposal to extend these powers to include stop-and-search, breathalysing motorists and operating speed traps was leaked to the press.

Wardens
The UK has more than 500 warden schemes run by councils or housing associations and the ODPM has judged them a success: according to its figures, crime has fallen by 28% in warden areas since they were first piloted three years ago.

Wardens have no more powers than civilians and tend to focus on building friendly relationships with communities and engaging youths through projects like sports activities. The ODPM is setting up 12 regional training centres, but start-up government match-funding has run out, threatening some of the first schemes with closure.

Private muscle
The third security option is using private companies to patrol estates either every night or for periods of a few weeks when antisocial behaviour flares up. Guards usually work in pairs on foot or in vehicles, and late at night – typical hours tend to be from 9pm to 3am.

Guards provide a visible presence meant to deter crime, will call the police at signs of trouble and may also film evidence of offences and act as professional witnesses. Often they also respond to a 24-hour residents' hotline.

Wardens are meant to bond with residents. Guards are more likely to act as witnesses against them

One advantage private guards have over CSOs is that they are directly accountable to the association, council or residents' group that employs them, rather than the police. This gives you more control if you are not happy with the service. Some housing officers have found it hard to convince police that their jointly funded CSOs should patrol areas where crime is relatively low, even though residents want to see more officers on the beat. Others have found CSOs pulled away to attend emergencies in other areas. And unlike wardens, who are meant to bond with residents, private guards are more likely to be happy to act as witnesses against tenants in prosecutions.

The drawback is that, although they do a similar job to CSOs, private companies have no special legal powers and do not always have a great relationship with the police.

Private guards can also be difficult to monitor. You will need regular – ideally daily – meetings between the guards and yourselves or the police to identify trouble hotspots and exchange information.

If they're any good, guards should have undergone some nationally recognised training such as City & Guilds' security guarding national vocational qualification. Last month the Security Industry Authority was set up to regulate the sector. It will licence the 300,000-500,000 people working in the industry by 2006. The licensing of patrol guards will be undertaken next year. This will include identity and criminal record checks and ensuring guards complete nationally recognised security and conflict management training.

To find a reliable private company before the SIA's national register is up and running, check whether they are accredited by an inspectorate approved by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, such as the National Security Inspectorate. These companies comply with British Standard ISO 9000, which includes a commitment to train staff. All members of the British Security Industry Association, which represents about 70% of the security industry by turnover, do this.

What price safety?
CSOs, if working full-time, are paid between £17,000 and £19,000 a year depending on the number of unsocial hours worked or the need for London weighting – but match-funding means you would only have to meet half this cost.

It's debatable whether it is more expensive to train your own wardens or employ an outside company. Large warden schemes can need big lump sums: Middlesbrough council's highly regarded scheme, which has 74 wardens, gets more than £1.5m a year from the ODPM, Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and European Regional Development Fund.