Combating crime at Christmas

Essex Police, along with Essex County Council and partners have been running Operation Christmas Cracker in town centres over the festive period to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour.

Created in Eastern Division, which covers Colchester and Clacton districts, Operation Christmas Cracker has been used successfully for over ten years. It seeks to use a multi-agency approach to prevent crime in town centres during the especially busy Christmas period.

The aim of this year’s effort is to enhance the operation reducing anti-social behaviour, preventing thefts and carrying out high-visibility policing throughout Essex. Operation Christmas Cracker in 2009 will therefore be running in shopping towns across the county.

Advice will be given to shoppers to ensure they are keeping their belongings, and in particular their purses, secure when shopping. Advice will also be given to prevent people falling foul of thieves at cash points.

There will be high-visibility patrols which will include police officers, the Essex Police Special Constabulary, street wardens and council anti-social behaviour teams.

Inspector Chris Willis said: "It is incredibly positive and a great opportunity for local policing teams to be able to give an even better service to the communities they serve due to this partnership between Essex County Council and Essex Police.

"We will use this money to do our part to enhance good old fashioned policing, working with our partners, as well as shop keepers, to ensure shopping in Essex remains full of Christmas cheer."

Cllr Tracey Chapman, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for community safety said: “At Essex County Council we are working jointly with Essex Police and other partners to do as much as possible to reassure, protect and educate shoppers as they visit town centres throughout the county over the festive period.

"We are hopeful that these approaches will be extremely effective in reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Operation Christmas Cracker is one of the operations being run under Operation Impact which has been pioneered by Essex County Council in partnership with Essex Police to make the county of Essex an even safer place to live and work.

It is the realisation of Essex County Council’s pledge to deliver a minimum of ten targeted operations with Essex Police and partners to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

Operation Impact has been developed in response to listening to the concerns of members of the community, with each of the ten operations focusing on specific areas of need within the county.

 

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