Community park rangers

• Who we are
• The ranger offices
• What we do
• How you can help the rangers

Who we are

Since January 2007 we have been working as a community park ranger service which has been created out of the old park service. We have made these changes to reflect a new community focus and our aim to provide a friendly face for the park by working for and with the local community.

The aim of the community park ranger service is to work with the local community and to assist them in the promotion of responsible usage and ownership of parks and open spaces within the borough.

The service is split into two geographical areas, north and south, to ensure that we provide an efficient and responsive service at a local level. The northern team has two bases, one in Bethnal Green Gardens and one in Victoria Park. The southern team's main base is in Poplar Recreation Ground.

The teams work seven days a week till dusk in the summer and winter. Community park rangers wear a distinctive blue uniform, which distinguishes them from other staff working in parks.

Community park ranger offices

The two main offices in the borough are at:

• Victoria Park, tel: 020 8985 1957
• Poplar Recreation Ground, tel: 020 7510 2950

What we do

Our work includes:

• patrolling playgrounds, open spaces, cemeteries and nature reserves within the borough and inspecting the parks and facilities whilst they are on site
• assisting and informing park users
• working to resolve any conflict issues, e.g. vandalism, and discouraging and reporting any form of antisocial behaviour, whether it affects other users, wildlife or the facilities themselves
• encouraging appropriate behaviour, mutual co-operation and consideration from all groups using public spaces and, if necessary, enforce the relevant regulations
• providing a reassuring presence in our parks to encourage a sense of security and to provide helpful information
• assisting with sports events in parks
• assisting with site maintenance
• organising and running a range of events across the borough

How you can help the Community Park Rangers

You can help us by:

• giving us ideas and views on the parks and how they are used
• providing feedback on our events, parks and facilities
• suggesting practical ways that we can improve or develop parks
• reporting vandalism or damage
• using our facilities responsibility
• if you are a dog owner by keeping your dog under control in the park and removing dog faeces