Night Wardens to help protect the vulnerable in Salisbury city centre

Specially trained officers from Venture Security are helping protect and support vulnerable people and providing a reassuring presence in Salisbury City Centre, as part of a Safer Streets initiative funded by Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Night Wardens are conducting patrols of the city centre every Friday and Saturday night between the hours of 8pm and 4am, with the aim of helping to tackle violence against women and girls, reducing antisocial behaviour and overall making the streets safer for all.

Paul Howe, MD, Venture Security, commented: “We are delighted to be working with the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner to introduce dedicated night wardens in Salisbury. Through our extensive work in city centres across the region, we know that a visible security presence can be a very reassuring sight and provide those who need support with an immediate point of contact to seek assistance.

“Our officers are trained in conflict management, they’re trained under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) and they’ve also had bystander training from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. They know what to look out for and how to provide support, when others often wouldn’t.”

He added “We look forward to seeing the impact of the service, as it joins a collection of schemes working to foster a safer night-time economy in Salisbury.”

Since the wardens started their patrols in February, they have developed relationships with the Street Pastors, Salisbury CCTV, Salisbury BID and the local Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, said: “Our wardens will be a continual presence in the city centre, with a focus on safety and intervention based patrols, to ensure everyone can enjoy a safer night out but especially so women and girls can feel reassured and safe.

“The Safer Streets’ fund has also been used to fund four deployable CCTV cameras in Salisbury to specifically cover areas anti-social behaviour hotspots. These are intended as a preventative measure but will also provide high-quality footage, should it be needed.

“The package of interventions is contributing to making Wiltshire safer and is a positive addition which should encourage more people to enjoy our night-time economy in Salisbury and feel safer as a result.”

The night wardens initiative has seen Venture further expand its presence in the local area, where it has been active for more than 16 years supporting both public and private sector clients.

The company was recently awarded a mobile security contract by Wiltshire Council to help keep the authority’s buildings safe, while deterring theft and criminal damage, and supporting the secure movement of council staff, partners and contractors.

Venture is also active in the city centre, supporting Salisbury City Council and Salisbury BID to tackle antisocial behaviour – a similar service is provided by Venture in Swindon, Andover and Winchester.

Headquartered in Andover, Venture Security is a family run security company, which provides specialist security services for corporate and residential customers based across central southern England. The company is ranked within the top 0.5% of UK security providers.