The Baker Partnership Hub opens at Brentwood Town Hall

 

The new community safety hub at Brentwood Town Hall has been officially opened by Mayor of Brentwood Cllr Olivia Sanders and Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington.

The Baker Partnership Hub is named in memory of PC Tris Baker who was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in September last year.

The hub will allow Essex Police and community partners from the fire service, the probation service, the South Essex Parking Partnership and others to work closely together to share information and ideas.

Tris Baker was a children and young person (CYP) officer working in Brentwood and a volunteer police cadet leader. He had been a police officer for 18 years.

His partner, PC Faye Matthams, attended the ceremony with their three children Ellie, Lily, and Evie, and a number of Tris’ colleagues.

They were joined by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst, the leader of Brentwood Council, Cllr Chris Hossack, and Chair of Community Safety Partnership, Cllr Keith Barber.

Faye is the acting sergeant of the Brentwood Community Policing Team and will build on Tris’ legacy as the new CYP officer for the area. She will be based at the hub.

Faye said: “Tris was based at Brentwood for many years and worked closely with the council. It’s an honour for the hub to be named after him and a respectful way for him to be remembered.

“As a family, we are still in shock that Tris isn’t here. The children are so resilient, but we all miss him terribly.

“Tris was a very private person but he did so much for local children and in the local community for such a long time. I’ve got very big shoes to fill in continuing the good work he did.”

 

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington led the tributes to Tris at the opening and said the new hub will bring significant benefits:

“This excellent new facility will enable our officers to work even more closely with our partners to prevent crime and keep the people of Brentwood safe.

“The collaborative approach will allow us to share information and coordinate enforcement activity more effectively.

“By strengthening our links, we will be better placed to solve the issues that matter most to the community so Brentwood continues to be a safe place to live and work.

“It is entirely fitting that the hub should be named after Tris Baker, an officer who dedicated himself to helping others and made such an important contribution to this town.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst added: “It was a pleasure to join Tris’ family and friends to open the Baker Partnership Hub.

“Naming the hub after Tris is an appropriate tribute and a positive way to remember him and his contribution to Brentwood.

“Community hubs are an important way of preventing crime and keeping our communities safe. They help agencies deliver proactive operations to tackle known hotspots, offenders and support victims all based on shared information and intelligence.

“Working together in this way we can significantly reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.”

 

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