"Anti-social behaviour has halved but remains an absolute priority" - DCC Prophet

Reported incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Essex have decreased by 65% in five years but Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet said the issue remains an “absolute priority” for the force.

DCC Prophet is the national lead for ASB and despite the positive progress that has been made, he said police and partner organisations would continue to work “tirelessly” to tackle the underlying causes of a problem that “wrecks lives and wrecks communities”.

As part of Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week (18-24 November), community policing teams across the county will be holding community engagement events alongside their usual targeted work and high-visibility patrols.

There were more than 42,000 incidents of ASB reported in the year to the end of October 2019. Five years on, this figure has fallen to 14,490.

Offending has fallen by at least 59% in all 14 districts in that time. In Southend, there were almost 4,000 fewer ASB offences reported this year compared the same 12-month period five years before, with around 3,000 fewer in Basildon, Colchester and Chelmsford.

In the past 12 months, ASB fell by 6.6% with 1,031 fewer incidents reported. It dropped by more than the force average in nine districts: Uttlesford (13%), Braintree (11%), Harlow (11%), Tendring (10%), Basildon (10%), Castle Point (10%), Rochford (10%), Chelmsford (8%) and Colchester (6.7%).

Basildon (-199), Tendring (-134), and Braintree (-125) saw the biggest reductions in the number of offences. Maldon (253), Uttlesford (366), Rochford (423) and Brentwood (451) had the smallest number of ASB offences reported.

Since July 2023, ASB hotspot patrolling has been taking place thanks to funding secured by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. The first phase of activity across 13 hotspot zones led to 101 arrests, 387 stop and searches, and the issuing of 112 fixed penalty notices (FPNs). The project also saw outreach work that engaged with more than 3,000 young people.

An additional £1.6 million of funding was recently announced for a second phase of the scheme that is now underway in 15 areas of Essex, including parts of Colchester, Southend, Basildon, Chelmsford.

The money will be used for extra high-visibility police patrols, community safety patrols and crime intervention projects.

Speaking ahead of Anti-Social Behaviour Week, DCC Prophet said:

“ASB is not a low-level issue. It wrecks lives and it wrecks communities, and that's why in Essex Police it's an absolute priority. So even though over the last five years, recorded ASB is down by about half, that's not good enough.

“And that's why we're going to continue to be incredibly proactive, targeting the right places and targeting the people who cause misery and anti-social behaviour.

“The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has just announced another 1.6 million pounds of investment to get into 15 hotspot areas.

“That's because no one should live in fear of anti-social behaviour. We're working tirelessly with our partners, the local authorities and others to get underneath the underlying causes of anti-social behaviour because we need to make communities feel safe.

“If you're experiencing anti-social behaviour in your area, please report it, we need to know about it.

“There are loads of ways to tell us about what's going on. You can report it online. We've got live chat facilities. You can call the police on 101 or you can contact your local council.

“So, whether it's drug or alcohol misuse, criminal damage or excessive noise, please tell us so we can do something about it.”

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