Earlier this week, the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Essex has announced a new £1.6million investment aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour (ASB) in 15 targeted hotspots across the county.

This funding builds on the success of a previous £1.1million investment under Operation Dial, which saw a 13 per cent drop in anti-social behaviour reports last year.

The new funding will be allocated to support high-visibility police patrols, community safety patrols, youth outreach programs, and crime intervention projects.

The targeted areas, which include parts of Colchester, Southend, Basildon, Chelmsford, and Harlow, were identified through data from public reports to Essex Police and feedback from local residents and community safety partners.

Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Essex, expressed his satisfaction with the new funding: "Our model uses data to identify areas of high anti-social behaviour and then target those areas with funding support and resources in the form of patrols and community intervention.   

“This targeted-action model works. It is 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.”  

The 15 identified hotspots for the next year include high-profile areas such as Basildon’s St Martin’s Square, Colchester High Street, and Southend’s Esplanade.

Here is the full list:

  • 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