2026: Chief Constable outlines plans to continue driving down crime

“We’re focussed on solving more crime and delivering the best possible service to our communities.”

That’s from our Chief Constable as he outlines the force’s plans to continue bringing crime down and getting more justice for victims.

Changes currently underway across the force aim to: strengthen our neighbourhood policing offer; do even more to protect vulnerable people and lock up criminals; and work even harder with partners to prevent crime.

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said:

“In 2025 we solved 2,700 more crimes than in 2024.
“That’s more justice for victims and more criminals behind bars.
“We made more arrests and secured more than 15,000 charges – up 12 percent.
“We’ve doubled the number of rapes solved and significantly increased the number of vehicle thefts solved.
“Our team that investigates online child abuse is one of the most effective in the country.
“And we’re innovating such as working with major companies to tackle the rise of deepfakes.
“And all the while we’re continuing to bring crime and down.
“But there is always more to do. We cannot be complacent and we have to continually change and evolve to keep up with new and emerging crime types which are enabled by increasingly sophisticated technology.”

Mr Harrington added that the force has invested to keep the public safe:

“We’re making the most of every pound in funding we get.
“We put more officers on the front line, in neighbourhoods, and tackling crime per pound of funding than any other force in the country.
“Our expanded Neighbourhood Policing Teams have secured almost double the number of charges since their inception at the start of April compared with the equivalent team during the same period last year.
“We’re investing to keep young people safe and prevent anti-social behaviour, as well as improving our contact and engagement with the public.
“We’re innovating to be more efficient like speeding up the process for charging shoplifters without having to arrest them. This speeds up justice for victims and has saved 10 weeks in officer time so they’re back in communities quicker.
“And with the public’s support we can continue this in 2026.
“We’ll sustain our neighbourhood presence because we value our neighbourhoods. We’ll continue our focus on the issues that matter the most to you and working with partners to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We’ll continue to invest. Invest in improved offender management to take action before crimes are committed.
“Invest in engagement in schools through and with young people to ensure safer futures.
“Invest in keeping women and girls even safer.
“And we’ll improve. Improve investigations to secure more justice. Improve support for victims. And improve our focus on prevention to reduce repeat offending.”

But the Chief added that the force continues to face financial challenges:

“Essex Police is the ninth largest force in the country but, proportionately, is the second lowest in terms of funding from Central Government.
“While I welcome an increase in our funding from Government through the settlement announced before Christmas, it is sadly not enough to cover our increasing costs.
“I recognise that regrettably this does put a greater burden on the people of Essex – but that’s why we are making changes and putting forward proposals to ensure we can deliver the best possible service and keep people safe.
“We will always do the best with what we have but, even with a proposed increase in funding through the council tax precept, we are in the unenviable position having to make difficult choices.
“These are choices that no Chief Constable wants to make and they are choices we are not making lightly.
“But they are choices we need to make because it is only if we have a sustainable and stable future that we can ensure crime continues to fall and we keep getting justice for victims.
“Over the last decade we have achieved a huge volume of savings, but we now have to make more and, regrettably that will affect our loyal and hardworking police staff.
“There are consultations ongoing currently so I cannot go into more detail at this stage.
“I do want to pay tribute to the dedication, professionalism, and expertise of the police staff who work so diligently to keep the public safe alongside our hard working police officers.
“This is a really challenging time for them, and this is not lost on me. They play a crucial role in protecting the public, investigating crime, and supporting officers to get justice for victims.
“We are aiming to deliver the best possible service to the public and our partners, while also delivering a balanced and resilient budget.
“But regardless of our financial position, the force needs to make changes and all of the things we are proposing will help us do even more to continue to protect victims and tackle those causing most harm to our communities.”

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