PFCC announces further £1.6m investment to drive down anti-social behaviour

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex has announced £1.6m of new funding this year to drive down anti-social behaviour (ASB) in 15 targeted hotspot areas of Essex.

The funding will build on the success of £1.1m of funding invested in 13 hotspots last year, which took place under the name Operation Dial.

This operation resulted in reports of anti-social behaviour dropping by 13 per cent across Essex, a statistic which drew national attention when highlighted by the Government.

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

The 15 hotspots, which include areas of Colchester, Southend, Basildon, Chelmsford and Braintree, have been identified by data built from public reports of ASB to Essex Police. 

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “I’m very pleased to announce £1.6m is now available for a second year of targeted anti-social behaviour intervention.

“Our model uses data to identify areas of high anti-social behavior and then target those areas with funding support and resources in the form of patrols and community intervention. 

“This targeted-action model works, it’s an investment in offering reassurance and building confidence in local communities as well as providing more opportunities to identify and pursue those responsible for crime and anti-social behaviour.

“This is why we always urge people to report crime when we are on our many public engagements across the county. We use your reports to identify areas in need of extra resources and then we target those areas. We can’t identify those areas or target resources without your reports.”

Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet, the NPCC lead for anti-social behaviour, said:

“We’ve been successful in driving down anti-social behaviour across Essex. That said, there is more to do, so the investment and focus on ASB will continue.

“ASB has more than halved in five years, and is down in every district in the county in the past 12 months. This shows our approach is getting results and making a real difference to people’s lives.

“ASB is not ‘low-level’, it damages communities. It’s unacceptable that anyone should feel intimidated or harassed in their own home or local area.

“Our officers have been a highly visible presence in the hotspots where residents have reported issues and we will continue to work alongside our partners in local authorities and other agencies to tackle offending and the underlying causes.”

The latest figures show across Essex Police reports of ASB incidents fell by 8.7% in the 12 months to end of August with 1,420 fewer offences committed. Since 2019, reported incidents of ASB have fallen by 65.6%.

In the past year, ASB has dropped by 19.1% in Uttlesford, 13.9% in Southend, 13.5% in Tendring, 11.2% in Basildon, 8.8% in Chelmsford, and 7.9% in Harlow. Over the past two years, ASB is down by 38% in Colchester and 32% in Thurrock.

 The 15 identified ASB hotspots for the next year are:  

• Basildon, St Martin’s Square
• Braintree Market Place
• Brentwood High Street
• Chelmsford North Avenue
• Chelmsford Parkway
• Colchester High Street
• Colchester Greenstead
• Castle Point, Canvey Island
• Epping, Debden
• Harlow, The Gates
• Southend, Esplanade
• Southend, Hamlet Court Road
• Tendring, Clacton Pier
• Tendring, Jaywick
• Thurrock, Lakeside, including Chafford Hundred Station

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