BOSCOMBE'S security warden scheme will be replicated in the town centre, the council says.

The Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) was set up by Dorset Police in 2014 using Government legislation which allows for the transfer of limited police powers to private security guards.

However in October 2016 the two wardens, who are charged with tackling and deterring begging, drug dealing, shoplifting and general anti-social behaviour, were transferred into the employment of Bournemouth council.

And the council is now recruiting for new wardens to extend the scheme to the town centre.

"It is similar to what is in place in Boscombe," said cabinet member for housing Councillor Robert Lawton.

"It has certainly improved the situation in Boscombe, although there is still more to be done.

"It has eased the problem of people being afraid to go to cash points or into shops due to begging of an aggressive sort.

"This is not aimed at rough sleepers, we have other systems in place for that, but there have been complaints about begging."

Cllr Lawton said the borough is actively recruiting and could have new wardens in place next month.

According to a report to the borough's community scrutiny panel, the council has, in partnership with the police, "improved deployment of the CSAS resource", "increased support from the police including Airwave radio" and "improved intelligence sharing".

The wardens, who wear body CCTV cameras, are intended to deal with such issues as street begging, street drug dealing and people drinking alcohol in designated 'no drinking zones'.

They are also intended to quell anti-social behaviour by acting as a continuous uniformed presence on the streets, as they can only operate within their designated area and are not called away as police officers are.

The Boscombe wardens have attended 1,945 incidents since becoming council employees, following requests from shopkeepers, neighbourhood watches, the police and those incidents they have spotted on patrol.

Since 2016 they have used their delegated police powers on 1,763 occasions, including to take down the names and addresses of those deemed to be "acting anti-socially" or begging, and they have confiscated alcohol from under-18s and the drunk and disorderly within designated areas.

The council report states that 149 incidents were "escalated" to involve officers from Dorset Police, or 7.6 per cent of the total number of incidents.

And evidence from warden encounters was used to back action taken against 13 repeat offenders, the council says.

CSAS schemes are becoming more prevalent, and there are plans to introduce one in Weymouth.