Harlow: The Stow chosen as Essex's first Clear, Hold, Build project site

The Stow in Harlow will be the first area in the county to benefit from a national scheme to reduce crime and regenerate impacted neighbourhoods.

Clear, Hold, Build is a Home Office initiative that brings police and public services together to tackle offending and address underlying issues affecting communities.

The aim is to produce sustained, long-term change in places that have been blighted by serious and organised crime by pursuing offenders, breaking up and dispersing gangs, and creating strong, resilient neighbourhoods.

Chief Inspector Paul Austin, Harlow’s District Commander, explained why the Stow had been chosen:

“The Stow has been an area of concern for some time due to instances of crime and anti-social behaviour (ASB). The shops and library are well used by local community and it is a hub for the elderly and some of the more vulnerable people in society.
“We want the Stow to be a place where people can flourish and live free of concerns about crime and ASB.
“We have seen ASB reduce and the introduction of Operation Dial has established a regular, visible police presence. However, we still have information about gang-related activity, weapon carrying, and serious violence, and we know that not every incident gets reported.
“We want to drive down crime and ASB, and make sure the people who are committing crime and serious violence are removed, locked up and don’t come back.”

Surveys of local residents and people who use the Stow have revealed concerns about crime and ASB, and young people in Harlow said it was the area of the town where crime, ASB and the prevalence of gang activity most concerned them.

New signage has recently been added to the area to encourage people to report crime anonymously following a link-up between the police, the Safer Harlow Partnership and Crimestoppers.

Five thousand leaflets have also been delivered to local people to highlights what officers believe are the biggest issues in the Stow and to alert people to the signs of offending.

Chief Inspector Austin added:

“Clear, Hold, Build is about the community and organisations coming together to offer a wide range of support services and making sure criminality can’t flourish.
“As it’s a community project, it’s incredibly important to find out what people in the Stow are thinking and feeling.
“I want local residents be able be access education, youth and sports facilities, and to feel the Stow is a place that’s looked after, on the up, and police and partners care about.”

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