THE BOROUGH'S first community warden is set to be appointed in the Buckskin area of Basingstoke as the council's Cabinet is recommended to approve £10,000 funding for the post.

"This is a pilot scheme that will be ahead of the Government's recommendations for neighbourhood wardens," Cabinet member for community well-being Cllr George Hood told The Gazette.

He added: "In our consultations for the preparation of our community safety strategy for Basingstoke for 2002-5, we highlighted a need for the introduction of neighbourhood warden schemes.

"We are now awarding £10,000 to Kingfisher Housing Association to set up the first neighbourhood warden scheme in Buckskin.

"He can report abandoned cars, graffiti or litter and talk to the people. There are a number of old people living in that area and if he sees papers or milk left out he can alert the authorities to that. The role we see for him is the man-on-the-spot in the area."

Cllr Hood said the scheme in Buckskin - a mixed estate of 60 per cent social housing and 40 per cent private homes - is still at the consultation stage but is expected to go live in June.

"We feel a good, strong pilot scheme will give us some sensible direction for the future," added Cllr Hood. "At the end of the first year we can review it and see how it is running and how it fits into the Government initiative."

Community safety co-ordinator Pc Phillip Hilley, who will be involved in setting up the scheme, said: "The warden will have no more powers of arrest than the ordinary citizen.

"The decision on whether or not he will wear a uniform has not yet been made - consultations are still going on with the people in the area. But if he does have a uniform it will be far removed from a police uniform."

Cllr Hood said that under the community safety strategy, the council plans to double the number of CCTV cameras in the town centre, adding another nine, including several in car parks to combat car crime.

Targets for the strategy - which will be considered by the Cabinet tomorrow - include a five per cent reduction in crime in the borough by 2005. Initiatives should lead to the curbing of both violent crime and youth crime.

Cllr Hood said the intention is also to reduce the overall fear of crime, adding: "We want our citizens to feel that they can conduct their lives free from a crime atmosphere."