Harlow: Meet the District Commander, Chief Inspector Jenna Mirrington-French

Harlow’s new District Commander, Chief Inspector Jenna Mirrington-French, has said continuing to reduce violence and drug-driven crime are two of her top priorities.

Crime in Harlow has fallen by 11% in the past 12 months with 1,250 fewer offences reported, and anti-social behaviour is down by 21%.

Burglary (-44%), vehicle offences (-35%) and theft (-18.5%) have all seen considerable drops. Violence and robbery have both decreased by 5%.

“The team have been successful in reducing levels of offending,” said Ch Insp Mirrington-French, “and I want to make sure we build on that positive work.

“We will have a real focus on violence, knife crime, and drug-driven acquisitive crime like shoplifting and theft.

“We know where our hotspots are, and we are getting our officers in the right places at the right times.

“The new Neighbourhood Policing Team, which is an expanded version of the old community policing team, will also help to boost visibility and problem-solving at a local level with five additional officers working to prevent crime, catch offenders and solve cases.”

Ch Insp Mirrington-French has worked in frontline or neighbourhood policing since joining the force in 2015. She added that the strong local partnerships and the regeneration of the town make her optimistic for the future:

“There is a great sense of community in Harlow and lots of development is taking place to make it an even better place to live.

“As part of the Safer Harlow Partnership, we work closely with the local council, the health service, fire, and the voluntary sector and charities, and it’s a huge strength of this area that we have all these organisations coming together for a common goal.

“The success of the ongoing Clear, Hold, Build project in The Stow - which has seen offenders taken off the streets and improvements made in the area for residents - shows what can be achieved if we listen to the community and understand their needs.

“Whenever change happens it creates new challenges for us, but I believe the changes happening in the town will be a big positive.

“By investing in Harlow, it will become more attractive for residents and visitors, and the whole community will benefit.

“The public are really supportive of our officers and as Harlow grows, we will continue to do all we can to tackle offending and make sure people feel safe. That is why it’s important everyone continues to report incidents and anti-social behaviour to us or to Crimestoppers.

“Our team are here to help, so when you see them out on patrol, tell them what’s going well and what’s not going so well. The more we know, the more we can do to deal with any problems.”

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