Chief Inspector’s Update

By Southend District Commander Chief Inspector Jo Collins.

 

THE months seem to be passing by quickly and we are now approaching the summer, which will undoubtedly become busier for us with the number of visitors increasing at our leisure and retail facilities, resulting in greater demands on our service.

During these times we have several operations running which allow us to target specific areas and provide responses to emerging issues and trends.

One of the most prominent operations we run is Operation Union which provides additional resources to the waterfront areas of Southend and Old Leigh during the busy summer periods.

This year the operation will begin at the end of May and run through to mid-September with its primary purpose being to keep the public safe and provide high visibility policing to some of the busiest areas.

You will see additional officers in key locations during this time and we will also be conducting more stop and search of people in these locations where the grounds are present for us to do so. In 2023 45% of all the stop searches conducted on this operation led to the discovery of illegal items such as drugs, weapons, and stolen goods so this shows the effectiveness of this approach.

As a result of Operation Union there were also significant decreases in violence and anti-social behaviour. The operation in 2024 will also see us utilising our Open Gate weapons detection system which is a useful tool in preventing and detecting those carrying weapons and illegal articles.

In addition to Operation Union we also have Operation Dial which is a targeted pilot by the Home Office to combat anti-social behaviour (ASB) in key locations across the city. The two zones in Southend that receive extra patrols are Esplanade – Western Esplanade and the roads behind it leading up to the railway line, and Hamlet Court Road, which is a mixture of residential, retail and night-time economy.

As a result of these operations ASB has almost halved in our area, we currently have a 45% reduction in reported ASB, and violence has reduced by 20%. This is testament to the hard work and commitment of your local officers who all take pride in the work they do to make Southend a safer place for all.

These two operations are in addition to many others that we run periodically to support and listen to community concerns and feedback.

I try and give some relevant crime prevention advice in my updates, trying to avoid making people fearful of crime. It is acknowledged that the fear of being a victim of crime is often greater and not always reflective of the actual probability of being a victim of crime.

We often see in the news phone scams where people are sent random text messages, sometimes by WhatsApp asking for money or purporting to be a family member in trouble. They often do the rounds and there is some advice on the Ofcom website about this which I wanted to share with you.

If you receive a suspicious text: 1. Stop! The text could be a scam. Read carefully and look for any details that don’t seem right: 2. Don’t click on any links or give out any personal or bank details: 3. Report any suspicious texts to 7726, and make your friends and family aware too.

If you receive a suspicious phone call. 1. Stop! Do not give out any personal or bank details. 2. Hang up and call the company they claim to be from to check if it is a scam. 3. Report the scam call to Action Fraud, and make your friends and family aware too.

We have also seen some small pockets of offences relating to those who may have lots of gold jewellery within the home. Everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in their own homes, but there are some additional measures that you can take to ensure you are less likely to become a victim of such crime.

Events in your area – come along and speak to us at the following locations.

Monday 29th April	7pm – 8pm	Let’s Talk	Holiday Inn, Eastwoodbury Crescent
Monday 29th April	14.45pm – 15.15pm	Let’s Talk	Outside Earls Hall School
Tuesday 7th May	11am – 12pm	Lets Talk	Kent Elms Library
Friday 10th May	3pm – 3.30pm	Street Meet	Westleigh School
Friday 10th May	6pm – 6.30pm	Street Meet	Eastwood Park
Tuesday 14th May	11am – 12pm	Lets Talk	Morrisons café, Eastwood
Thursday 16th May	10am – 11am	Lets Talk	Co-op, Eastwood Road North
Friday 17th May	6pm – 6.30pm	Street Meet	Oakwood Park, Eastwood
Sunday 19th May	11.30am – 4pm	Street Meet	Belfairs Woodland Centre
Sunday 19th May	2pm – 6pm	Lets Talk	Balmoral Hall Community Centre
Friday 24th May	11am – 12pm	Lets Talk	Kent Elms Library

 

Read more.

Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news

Contact us. Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news

Twitter: @leighonsea_news

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighonsea.news