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1,500 incidents aided by Bournemouth town rangers (From Bournemouth Echo)
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1,500 incidents aided by Bournemouth town rangers
12:00pm Monday 22nd October 2012 in News
MIGHTY RANGERS: Ranger 3, Helen Taylor and Ranger 4, Malcolm Darke patrol Bournemouth’s town centre
IN JUST a month and a half, three Bournemouth town centre rangers have helped on more than 1,500 incidents.
The new team, who are dedicated to keeping the town clean and safe, tackle everything from anti-social behaviour to graffiti and giving directions to tourists.
Over the last six weeks, the trio, who are funded by the new Business Improvement District (BID), have become a familiar sight in the town.
Rangers Malcolm Darke, a former PCSO with Dorset Police, and mum-of-one Helen Taylor, who worked for South West Trains, say the job is a rewarding one.
Mrs Taylor said: “We act as a visual crime deterrent.
“We help to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as begging and shoplifting, and any activities that have an impact on businesses in the area. But we do all sorts of other things too – in a lot of ways, we’re like a mobile tourist information centre.”
The rangers are on duty from Monday to Saturday, and spend the day walking through the town centre.
When they spot anything important, like a missing drain cover or a new patch of graffiti, the incident is logged on an iPhone app, and if necessary, the police or the council are told.
Mr Darke said: “We’re also first aid trained.
“The other day, a chap collapsed in the library, and I went straight there when we heard it on the radios to administer first aid until the paramedics arrived.”
The rangers have a close relationship with Dorset Police, and the two regularly communicate over radio. In just over four weeks, we’ve made 200 reports to the council on issues like littering, graffiti, abandoned bikes and fly tipping,” said Mr Darke.
“At the beginning, we were getting a lot of people coming up and asking who we are, but soon everyone will be used to us. The reaction has been quite positive – generally, the people who don’t like to see us are those doing something wrong.”
Two new rangers, who are currently being trained, will join the team at the end of the month.
The Business Improvement District was created when town centre businesses agreed to pay a levy on their business rates to fund improvements to the town
Comments(14)
ctrewyou
says...
12:53pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Dont the library have their own first aiders? Why did a Ranger have to 'rush over there' when somebody collapsed? I use the library, and this seems to suggest that there is no first aid cover at the library, which would be a real worry to me.
I would like to know how many of the 200 reports made to the council were actually acted on. And if they are reporting litter to the council, wouldn't it be more efficient to give them something to pick the litter up with, rather than sending a message to someone, who then sends a message to someone else, who puts it on a list of jobs...?
muscliffman
says...
1:03pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Bargain?
ajj-dorset
says...
1:05pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Sounds like "incidents" is being used in the very widest sense to justify their role.
I find it bizarre that the library had no trained first aider on site and had to rely on these Rangers?
Could it be that this is all PR spewed out by Bournemouth council and repeated without question by the echo?
paul.p
says...
1:18pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Some people will say it's the Police's job but there are none comparable to 10 years ago. But I think we all know what the outcome will be in the future...privatizati
on.
westcliffman
says...
1:41pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Lord Spring
says...
2:08pm Mon 22 Oct 12
westcliffman wrote:The other one is the Lone Ranger.
I have a business in Comercial Road and have only seen 2 of these Rangers once since they started, we see anti-social behaviour all & every day and nothing is done about it.
hadvar
says...
3:51pm Mon 22 Oct 12
MrPitiful
says...
6:03pm Mon 22 Oct 12
Mikeyunibournemouth
says...
9:26pm Mon 22 Oct 12
wokboy60 wrote:There should be beat police doing this work. At least if a criminal incident is taking place you would have an individual(s) with the power of arrest...
Didn't they used to be called policemen on the beat Aka a beat bobby ?? just asking !
Buddha-Palm
says...
5:11am Tue 23 Oct 12
strikes me as another way to make more money for Bournemouth Inc. i.e. fines for littering ect. i wonder if the rangers are a registered company such as Bournemouth Police and Bournmouth courts mage. and crown ?
law and order was about they safety and protection of people now its just all about money and "being seen" to be doing somthing in a failing society under a corupt and failing legal and govmental shadow of a system !
create a fear factor then make us think we are being saved to keep us in a place of needing to be goverened by others FFS
Buddha-Palm
says...
5:11am Tue 23 Oct 12
strikes me as another way to make more money for Bournemouth Inc. i.e. fines for littering ect. i wonder if the rangers are a registered company such as Bournemouth Police and Bournmouth courts mage. and crown ?
law and order was about they safety and protection of people now its just all about money and "being seen" to be doing somthing in a failing society under a corupt and failing legal and govmental shadow of a system !
create a fear factor then make us think we are being saved to keep us in a place of needing to be goverened by others FFS
Azphreal
says...
9:34am Tue 23 Oct 12
Yawwwn!
says...
12:13am Thu 25 Oct 12
The sort of person that does this job is just someone frustrated at not being able to be a police officer.
Butlins holiday camp springs to mind. Red coats they are, maybe they can tell you where your chalet is if you are lost.
wokboy60 says...
12:37pm Mon 22 Oct 12