Southend: How our Safe Space is protecting people in the city this winter

A Safe Space to help anyone feeling vulnerable or in difficulty on weekend evenings in Southend has been visited more than 23,000 times by members of the public.

Our officers established a zone at the top of Southend High Street following analysis of serious incidents in the city and survey results that revealed women and girls felt unsafe walking along the High Street and had nowhere to go for assistance.

The Safe Space has been in place on 20 occasions since its launch in July and will continue to run on Friday and Saturday nights from 8pm until 4am throughout the winter.

It is staffed by members of Southend Community Policing Team (CPT), Southend City Council’s community safety officers, representatives of drug and alcohol charity Open Road, and street pastors.

The initiative was developed by the team behind Operation Grip – a Home Office-funded pilot that uses high-visibility hotspot patrols to prevent crime. Grip officers worked with Southend CPT to look at an innovative solution to deter criminality and help people feel safe in the city centre.

Across the district of Southend in the last 12 months, violence is down by 20%, sexual offences are down by 19.6%, and incidents of anti-social behaviour have almost halved.

Detective Superintendent Gary Biddle leads the force’s Serious Violence Unit. He said the Safe Space is having the desired effect.

“The ultimate aim is for people to feel safe and we know from the public response that it’s having a positive impact.

“People who have travelled through that area have told us they feel reassured, they like the presence of the Safe Space and they want it to continue.

“It’s not just a policing approach. We have strong relationships with our partners, and we are working together to engage with people and offer them the support they need.”

Officers working at the Safe Space have also made 14 arrests, seized five weapons, and helped a number of individuals who were stranded in the city, or needed safeguarding or medical assistance.

The success of Southend’s Safe Space has now led to similar operations in Colchester and Basildon.

Det Supt Biddle said his team will continue to be help people on the High Street and he wants anyone who sees the Safe Space to come and say hello.

“It’s vitally important we continue to be a highly visible presence. We’re in the places where we’re needed most, we’re helping people who are vulnerable, and we’re building relationships with the people and our partners who are in those areas.

“I’d encourage anyone who’s out in Southend to come and have a chat with us. We’ll tell you what Safe Space is all about and you can find out more about what other help and services are available to you locally.”

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