Safer Streets Warden Ref: 37-25

Salary: Grade 9, (£25,539 - £31,645) per annum 
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Basis: Fixed-term
Place of Work: Breckland Council, Thetford based with work & travel around the District.

Would you like a job where what you do:

• Helps tackle crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour in our community?
• Helps ensure residents and visitors feel safer?
• Makes a real difference to businesses and local community?
• Contributes to our Community alcohol partnership
• Deals with Environmental Crime and improves local neighbourhoods?

We are seeking a Safer Street warden to contribute to the deterrence and reduction of crime and anti-social behaviour in Thetford Town Centre and other towns by providing visible, patrols and building strong relationships in the community.    There will be a need to work some unsociable hours.

You will:

• Deter crime and anti-social behaviour, promote community safety and reduce residents fear of crime by providing high visibility, uniformed, patrols on foot in Thetford town centre and other targeted neighbourhoods.
• Provide a reassuring presence and be ready to assist members of the public in distress or fear for their safety. 
• Build effective relationships with internal and external partners, the community, community groups and businesses to address issues of community safety and attend multi-agency meeting as required.   
• Provide advice, information and support to residents, businesses and visitors on how to report their community safety concerns and incidents of anti-social behaviour.
• To gather evidence to support action against those committing crime, environmental crime or anti-social behaviour.
• Providing a variety of low-level interventions and friendly engagements to deter anti-social behaviour. 
• Where necessary and in accordance with our enforcement policy, carry out enforcement of breaches of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) and other hotspot areas of low-level crime and anti-social behaviour, including completing risk assessments of victims and witnesses, which may include issuing of fixed penalty notices and other types of formal action
• To effectively work and engage with internal and external partners .  
• To prepare detailed and accurate reports and present them in court if required.
• Work flexibly including weekends, evenings and bank holidays, as required by the rota.
• Participate in effective evaluation of the initiative
• Attend relevant training.

About you:

The type of person that you are, and your attitude is just as important to us as your working experience.  People like dealing with you because you make things easy for them to understand and you focus on and listen to what they say. You are empathetic and will do whatever you can to help, which allows you to quickly establish rapport and build strong relationships.

You exude confidence, remain calm and collected during difficult situations or confrontation and can effectively de-escalate the situation. 

You will deal sensitively and confidentially with situations that may be challenging but require clear and logical decisions to be made. You keep going no matter how difficult things get and use setbacks as a springboard for greater success.

You are passionate about providing the best possible service for our residents.

OK, I'm interested... But is it really the job for me?

As our Street Warden you will have:

• Experience of working with members of the public, including in challenging and confrontational situations
• Experience of working in a similar role.
• Knowledge of relevant legislation relating to Community Safety and Anti-Social Behaviour
• Experience of risk assessment in a community focused role

Please see job description and person Specification for a more comprehensive list of duties and qualities needed. 

If you would like to know more about this role, please email craig.fowler@breckland.gov.uk , Environmental Health & Licensing

Job summary

Description of duties

• To conduct regular high visibility foot patrols on days, evenings and weekends within Thetford Town Centre and targeted neighbourhoods.  Predominantly as a part of a pair. 
• To provide a reassuring presence, be ready to assist public in distress or fear for their safety and complete risk assessments on victims and witnesses of anti-social behaviour.
• To provide advice, information and support to residents, businesses and visitors on how to report community safety concerns and incidents of anti-social behaviour.
• To provide advice on crime prevention to members of the community.
• To build effective relationships with members of the community, community groups, voluntary organisations and businesses to address issues of community safety.
• To develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and partners, including the police.
• To provide regular updates to the ASB and Enforcement teams and to contribute to partnership working with external agencies including the Operational Partnership Team and Safer Neighbour Team to ensure effective information sharing.
• To gather evidence to support action against those committing crime, environmental crime, or anti-social behaviour, including collecting statements, keeping contemporaneous records and attending court if required. 
• Assisting and enabling formal evaluation of the success of this initiative.
• To intervene where necessary and when safe to do so, when witnessing acts of anti-social behaviour and/or call relevant services to include police and other emergency services and CCTV operator as appropriate.  
• To use a staged intervention process to be effective. 
• Where necessary undertake enforcement of breaches of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) and other hotspot areas , including completing risk assessments of victims and witnesses 
• Support officers to carry out to enable excellent and effective team working as part of #oneteambreckland
• Work unsociable hours as necessary to maximise the effectiveness of service delivery.
• Help and support other areas of work within the wider team, as requested by your Team Leader/Senior Management.
• To comply with the council's constitution and policies and procedures.
• As an employee of Breckland Council you must comply with the Health & Safety policy and attend the compulsory Health & Safety training as and when requested.
• You will be required to undertake any necessary training to enable you to perform your duties effectively.
• You will need to have a full driving licence and use of a vehicle for work purposes.
• Ensure compliance to all policies, procedures, standard operating practices, with recommendations for action and continuous improvement.

This job description is not exhaustive.  It will be necessary to perform any other reasonable tasks and duties as assigned where it is in the wider interest of the service/organisation.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Experience of working in an enforcement or compliance related role.
• Experience of working in a customer facing role.
• Knowledge of anti-social behaviour legislation, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and safeguarding practices
• Experience of dealing with the public in challenging situations requiring de-escalation
• Knowledge of GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and handling sensitive and confidential information
• Experience of effective partnership working
• Knowledge of safe working practices as a risk-based approach.
• Excellent decision making and problem-solving, particularly in a customer-focused role, with the ability to think outside of the box.  Excellent verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences
• An attention to detail and ability to record interactions accurately.
• Confident and assertive with the ability to deal with contentious situations tactfully and diplomatically
• Highly developed team working skills.
• Highly motivated and ability to manage own workload.
• Sound judgement and decision making.
• Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle

Desirable

• Local Government or regulatory experience
• Previous experience of working in a political environment
• Mental Health awareness and first-aid training
• Experience of working with statutory partners, voluntary, community and resident groups
• Any other relevant experience in a similar or related role
• IT literate
• Accurate and contemporaneous record keeping
• Ability to converse in additional language(s)

Qualifications

Essential

• 5 GCSE's grade C/4 or above, including English & Maths or equivalent

Desirable

• Any additional relevant qualifications

Essential Behaviours​​​​

Collaborative:

• I look for ways to work in partnership with colleagues across services, Members and external partners #oneteam
• I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input
• I listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge
• I celebrate success with my colleagues

Ambitious:

• I am a proud ambassador for the Council, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same
• I have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things
• My approach to work is filled with positivity and optimism
• I work hard to build relationships inside and outside my own area of work

Results Driven:

• I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service
• I understand our council priorities and how I make a difference.
• I keep to my promises and challenge myself and others to deliver high-quality services
• I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions

Empowering:

• I show energy and drive to explore new opportunities and challenge the status quo
• I take responsibility if things don't go well and learn from it for my own and for the organisation's development
• I appropriately challenge unacceptable behaviour
• I ask for help and support when needed

Supportive:

• I treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect, valuing their thoughts, background and experience
• I understand and take care of my own well-being and of that of those around me.
• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself ensuring I am welcoming, friendly and approachable
• I trust colleagues to do their job knowing this may not always be visible in a traditional 9-5 work pattern

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

The post is exposed to occasional unavoidable risks including:

• Dealing face to face with difficult situations that may be confrontational.
• Emotionally Demanding Situations
• Exposure to inclement weather and environment.

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Breckland Council's Terms and Conditions are in accordance with the National Joint Council for Local Government Services Administrative, Professional, Technical & Clerical Services (APT&C). These are collective agreements negotiated between the council and APT&C. The exception are those conditions affecting salary, which are subject to a locally negotiated salary structure.

Other Terms and Conditions may be implemented following collective agreements negotiated with the Trade Union recognised by Breckland Council for collective local bargaining purposes. The Principal conditions are set out below:

If you have read the job description and person specification and believe that you could be the right person for this role, we would love to hear from you.

Shortlisting is done based on how well a candidate meets the requirements of the role, therefore please demonstrate clearly how you meet the person specification in your application.

If you would like to know more about this role please email Craig.Fowler@breckland.gov.uk (Craig Fowler, Environmental Health & Licensing Manager).

Closing date: 9am Monday 1 September 2025

APPLY ONLINE

DBS Requirement

Please be aware that if you are selected for this role there will be a requirement to undertake a DBS check as part of pre-employment checks.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies. These are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.