Packed Public Meeting

A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the proposed national changes to policing that will also affect Southend City, has been held at Leigh Community Centre.
On Monday, August 4, local residents attended a the meeting with the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner organised by former MP, Anna Firth and local West Leigh Councillor, Owen Cartey, to discuss the important up-coming proposed changes.
Former MP, Anna Firth, open the meeting and explained that the Government is planning the biggest change to local policing since modern day policing was invented, and that residents are not sufficiently aware of the changes that are being proposed.
Ms Firth explained that the Government’s plan to scrap the current 43 local police forces and replace them with around 12 regional ‘’mega’ forces is very much going ahead with legislation planned for the Autumn in Parliament.
A review is currently taking place led by former Met Commissioner, Lord Bernard Hogan-Howe. He is due to report back at the end of August to decide exactly what the new forces will look like.
Under the new proposals, Essex Police will be merged with at least 3 if not 4 neighbouring forces including Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and possibly Kent, to create a huge police force covering the entire Eastern Region. For residents in Southend, policing decisions could be taken from as far away as Norwich.
Ms Firth says: “This would mean Essex losing its own Chief Constable, its own police identity and the direct democratic link between local council taxpayers and local policing priorities and that residents need to have a chance to understand what is being proposed and have their say.”
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, then addressed the meeting and explained that the idea should be to share best practice, not bureaucracy and that successful ideas should be adopted across forces without creating huge regional organisations.
He further explained that the cost of this re-organisation is massive, estimated at over £1 billion and that given Essex is performing well – he highlighted that Essex solves around three times more crimes than London and around twice the national average – that money could instead be invested in frontline policing.
Roger Hirst highlighted that his recent residents survey across Essex had produced a very clear outcome. 86% of residents surveyed think that Essex should maintain a strong, local police force and 70% oppose the proposal to merge Essex Police – Southend District into a “mega” police force.
While there is still time, he encouraged residents to continue sharing their views, as the proposals are still being considered.
Following the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s address there was a question and answer session. A statement from Ms Firth said: “Residents made it abundantly clear that they oppose the idea of losing Essex Police and, instead, being policed by a “mega” regional force.
“Residents were very concerned that there has not been any form of national consultation on a change that will fundamentally and irrevocably change the nature of policing in this Country, nor does it appear there is any formal consultation of the police.”
After the meeting, Ms Firth said: “I am very grateful to so many residents, councillors and the PFCC, Roger Hirst, for coming tonight. It is very clear that we need to keep the pressure up to stop this plan that will result in residents paying more money for a less good service.
“Essex Police is not perfect but the local connection is very important. There is no way a Chief Constable sitting in Norwich or Cambridge will have the same understanding of the problems we sometimes face on our sea-front and on the Broadway as our own Chief Constable sitting in Chelmsford.
“I have written to the Home Secretary and to the Policing Minister as well as our local MP, but it is vital now that as many residents as possible also write to Mr David Burton-Sampson MP ([email protected]) and to urge him to vote against these damaging proposals when they come to Parliament.”
After the meeting, Police Fire & Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst, said: “This was a really great opportunity for more people to understand what’s really going on with these proposals and I would like to say a huge thank you to Former MP, Anna Firth and Coun Owen Cartey for organising the meeting tonight.
“I heard a very clear message tonight. Everyone in the room from former Chief Superintendents to younger residents, agrees that what really matters is having a truly local police force focused on dealing with local matters, and that the Government needs to drop these proposals.
“My job now is to transmit that message powerfully to the Government.”
Coun Owen Cartey said: “It was overwhelmingly clear that the bulk of residents opposed the Government’s quiet plan to merge 43 local police forces into 12 mega regional forces.
“Now we’ve got to take this campaign forward and make sure that local voices are not ignored.
“Local communities have different policing priorities. Our police force should be locally accountable and there to make us all feel safe. A huge thank you to the residents who joined us and all the expertise”
Pictures: PFCC, Roger Hirst, Former MP, Anna Firth and Cllr Owen Cartey sitting at the meeting & residents asking questions and Anna and/or Owen replying
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