A team of nine mobile community wardens are now in place and are helping build better neighbourhoods across North Lanarkshire.

The officers, who work in pairs, are seen as the eyes and ears of local communities as they link up with local residents, businesses and other council services to improve the look of local areas.

And what’s different about this community warden service is that mobile wardens visit a number of areas across North Lanarkshire and can be deployed quickly to specific areas where there may be recurring problems. When working in communities the wardens are on the look out for areas of concern that they can then report direct to the relevant council department or to the police to ensure these are dealt with quickly and effectively.

For the first three-month period of this year the wardens have reported a total of 1,171 issues. These include issues relating to cleansing, including graffiti removal and dumped rubbish.

As part of the Scottish Executive’s initiative, ‘Building Strong, Safe and Attractive Communities’, the council received funding to employ the nine mobile community wardens.

Our mobile community wardens are highly visible within communities, explained Elaine McHugh, Divisional Manager. By speaking to local residents and businesses the wardens can be alerted to any problems affecting the area. Issues can range from problems with graffiti, abandoned cars and stray dogs to road and lighting faults, fly tipping, used needles and antisocial behaviour.

"The wardens also highlight the service they provide to local community groups and undertake talks in local schools.

"It’s important the local people recognise the wardens working in their areas and feel that they can approach them and discuss local issues. The council wardens aim to make sure that residents can enjoy living in a cleaner and safer environment."