It has been proposed by the executive board of Lambeth Council that due to the current economic crisis and budgetary constraints placed upon local authorities that they have made a decision to delete the Lambeth Park Ranger Service totally from the services that it currently provides to the residents and visitors of the London Borough of Lambeth . So what does this mean for residents , visitors and especially vulnerable groups who use our parks daily , well for example let us give you a quick explanation of what the Park Ranger Service has done over the 7 years since it was created , before the Park Ranger service arrived a lot of our parks were no go areas . The Park Rangers who work in these are not just run of the mill glorified security guards we are professional people who have skills from every background including qualified ecologists , experts in law and security matters , people very highly experienced in working with the young in the community , also with the homeless and those with mental health issues. The Park Rangers are directly responsible for close to a 40% drop in crime , anti social behaviour and other such related incidents in the parks in Lambeth , this being done despite over the past 3 years seeing a reduction in our numbers by 50% this shows the commitment that the Park Rangers have to their role and to the community in which they serve . The Park Rangers have been successful in eradicating prevelant drug use from parks , also prostitution and all the other crimes associated with those activities , we have prevented toilets and bushes being used for illegal and illegitimate purposes , we have invested time with local schools teaching your children how to stay safe in the parks and how they can appreciate and help to care for the vital lungs of the community which are our parks . We have worked with young mothers and their children in the one o'clock clubs advising on safety matters , providing physical security and also having a park ranger every year play santa claus for them , much to the enjoyment of the young children . We have stopped parks becoming a dumping ground for burnt out cars , motorbikes and discarded needles and worked with homeless and mental health charities to ensure the vulnerable and needy are supported .We are a valuable source of information for the police and have worked extremely closely with them over the past 7 years and on very many occasions the knowledge we have obtained by being out there and being the eyes and ears of park users and the general public has prevented some very serious crimes , we have also been very pro active in stopping crime directly . On one occasion on Clapham Common Rangers pursuing armed suspects , successfully detaining them and subsequently attending court to obtain successful convictions , we have re-united lost children with their parents on countless occasions and have also by being there and monitoring play areas prevented young children from being abducted . It is no coincidence that since the Lambeth Park Ranger Service was formed Lambeth Council have won several green flags for their parks all around the borough , these are awards given in recognition of the hard work and achievements that have been made to improve the aesthetics , safety and community facilities in the parks , the Park Rangers have played an enormous part in obtaining these awards , there are 64 parks and open spaces in the borough of Lambeth and it is feared that without the presence of professional , pro active , re active dedicated people to look after them they will deteriorate to a level which will be unhealthy and unwelcome for all groups of society , parks are our future they are valuable , lets keep them looked after , we will do this for you but we need your help thank you Lambeth Park Ranger Service PLEASE NOTE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MAKE A DONATION , PLEASE JUST EXIT THE PAGE WHEN DONE , Thank You

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