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Incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Southend have almost halved in the last 12 months.
There were 1,705 fewer reports of ASB across the district in 2023 compared to the previous year – a drop of 49.6%.
Southend has two Operation Dial ASB hotspot zones and the Community Policing Team (CPT) have been working with the city council and Business Improvement District (BID) to combat ASB on the High Street and surrounding areas.
The CPT also enforce the terms of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) that prohibits bikes and e-scooters on the High Street.
The two Operation Dial zones in Southchurch Road and Maple Square are patrolled by police and council community safety officers to provide residents with a highly visible presence after reports of drug offences, noise and nuisance activity.
Since patrolling began in July, 19 arrests have been made in the Dial zones, 12 people have been issued with informal warnings and 51 have been stop searched.
Essex’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner invested £1.1m to combat ASB in 13 hotspot areas across the county.
The funding is provided by central government as part of their Anti-Social Behaviour Strategy and is designed to deliver high visibility patrols, public engagement, targeted youth outreach and early intervention.
T/Inspector Dave Gardiner of Southend CPT said the dedicated patrols and joined-up approach with the council were helping to drive down offending:
“Anti-social behaviour can ruin people’s lives, and nobody should feel afraid or intimidated in their own neighbourhood. Our team works quickly to get on top of issues before they escalate as ASB can lead to more serious offending.
“The area around Maple Square has seen ASB related to drug use, and in the zone that covers Southchurch Road, Christchurch Court and Christchurch Road, there have been reports of ASB from young people in the park. In the surrounding flats, there had been issues with homeless people, sex workers and drug dealing in the stairwells.
“We have a strong relationship with the council’s community safety team and we will continue to maintain a highly-visible presence to deter offending. We are out in the community, listening to people and dealing with their concerns.
“If you are a victim of anti-social behaviour, please report it to us by calling 101, message us via our website, or contact Crimestoppers or the local housing association if it relates to one of their properties. If you see a crime being committed, call 999.”
Did you know we have a few different ways you can contact us?
If you would like to report a non-emergency crime, antisocial behaviour, or give us information, you can report online or by use our Live Chat service.
To find out more about our different reporting services, 999 BSL and much more visit our Help Us Help You page.