Neighbourhood Support Workers
The Neighbourhood Support Workers or NSWs are Shetland Islands Council's version of the nationwide Community Warden Scheme.
Shetland NSWs are involved in crime prevention and environmental improvement. They regularly walk through Lerwick providing a high profile deterrent to antisocial behaviour. They also respond to problems throughout Shetland.
The NSWs are a link between local people and local services. They specialise in helping people to report problems at an early stage where they are quicker and easier to resolve. The NSWs are also particularly effective at identifying problems where no one is responsible for reporting them. The range of issues is vast but some examples are property repairs, neighbourhood disputes, drink/drugs problems, graffiti, lost and found property, road safety and noise nuisance.
The NSWs also have some enforcement powers around issues where the community is particularly upset by. At the moment the NSWs can assist with the issuing of Fixed Penalty Notices for dog fouling, littering, smoking, noise and abandoned vehicles.
The NSWs also do a large amount of engagement activities aimed at supporting and educating local community.
Who are they?
We currently have two neighbourhood support workers - Steve Mills and Shuard Manson. Much of their working time is spent out in the community outside normal office hours.