Community Safety Wardens

The project sits under Strategic Priority 2 of the MEA PCSP Action Plan: To improve community safety by prioritising and addressing local community safety issues, tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

Community Safety Wardens are contracted from DGS Service Solutions Ltd who have experience in the security industry and deliver a range of similar services across Northern Ireland.

PCSP engages Ballymena Retailers Against Crime (BRAC) who manage and coordinate the work of the wardens at a local level in Mid and East Antrim.

To find out more about this PCSP initiative or to request a warden in your area, please contact: pcsp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Community Safety Wardens Scheme Funders

The Community Safety Warden Scheme addresses key elements of the PCSP Action Plan in delivering an additional community resource with the capacity to assist with low level crime and anti-social behaviour.

Wardens play an important role in dealing with issues such as low level antisocial behaviour, littering, dog fouling and promoting community safety in general.

The wardens also play an important role within local housing estates conducting patrols and liaising with NIHE patch managers on community safety issues.

Community Safety Wardens work closely with PSNI Neighbourhood Police Teams in Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne and participate in key forums such as the PCSP interagency Anti-Social Behaviour working group.

In town centres the wardens provide a visible reassuring presence to traders and the public helping to reduce the fear of crime.

Raise a concern or request a patrol

If you are a resident, business, or community organisation in the Borough and would like to raise a concern or request a patrol in your area, contact the PCSP team: pcsp@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Meet our Community Safety Wardens

Meet Tommy, our Community Safety Warden for Carrickfergus and Larne.

Based across the Carrickfergus and Larne areas, Tommy engages with local communities and supports the needs of local residents and businesses, acting as a point of contact for community safety concerns.

When did you become a Warden?

• I started in March 2013

What is your favourite part of the job?

• It is sometimes a difficult but rewarding role.
  I enjoy calling in and meeting people, particularly older and more vulnerable people, and making sure they feel safe.
  People have said that having a local warden makes the neighbourhood feel safer.

What is the number one issue of concern for residents?

• Anti-social behaviour is a concern for people, however by forming close working relationships with other organisations, we have been able to reduce anti-social behaviour through partnership working.

How can we make neighbourhoods a safer place to live and work?

• By building relationships and working together.
  People living in an area know their area best and often have the best solutions to local issues.

Meet Andrew, our Community Safety Warden for Ballymena Rural

Based across the rural areas and villages of Ballymena, Andrew engages with local communities and supports the needs of local residents and businesses.

When did you become a Warden?

• I started May 2025

What is your favourite part of the job?

• I enjoy working to build rapport and trust with local people.
  It is great to be able to provide assistance to the community in the rural villages around Ballymena and especially in the estates.

What is the number one issue of concern for residents?

• There are a range of problems in the estates with antisocial behaviour being the number one.
  Other problems can include dog fouling, petty vandalism, graffiti and litter, all of which we report to the authorities and have the problems dealt with.

How can we make neighbourhoods a safer place to live and work?

• Rural communities can really benefit from crime prevention, strong engagement and community partnerships.
  It is often the small things that can cause annoyance and sorting these out helps promote a safe environment for the residents.

Meet Marie, our Community Safety Warden for Ballymena Town Centre

Based in Ballymena Town Centre, Marie engages largely with our local businesses, and also the local community.

When did you become a Warden?

• I started May 2025

What is your favourite part of the job?

• Meeting and getting to know local business owners through my day-to-day visits, local events, local markets and networking opportunities.

What is the number one issue of concern for residents?

• For businesses, the main community safety issues are theft, vandalism, and anti-social behaviour.
  We work in partnership to find solutions on prevention, intervention and community engagement.

How can we make neighbourhoods a safer place to live and work?

• In Ballymena Town Centre we support a number of initiatives including improved property security and community-led solutions, in an attempt to combat crime and reassure traders.

Community Safety Wardens from Mid and East Antrim PCSP provide a highly visible and reassuring presence on the streets, offering a frontline service that is both practical and responsive in its impact.

Their presence helps to deter anti-social behaviour, reassure residents, and sends a strong message that local issues are being actively monitored and addressed.

The scheme directly supports the delivery of the PCSP Action Plan, acting as a community resource with the flexibility to intervene in low-level problems, assist with crime prevention, and complement the work of statutory partners.

Enforcement alone will never be sufficient to address the ASB facing the Borough.

A long-term, partnership-driven, and community-led approach is essential.

The PCSP’s ASB Working Group, supported by the continuation and strengthening of the Community Safety Wardens scheme, offers a coordinated and collaborative model of an inter-agency approach.