Anti-social behaviour: Essex Police reveal 11 patrol areas

Roger Hirst and deputy chief constable Andy Prophet were optimistic about the trial

Essex Police has announced the 11 neighbourhoods where it will carry out "high-visibility" patrols to crack down on anti-social behaviour (ASB).

The government announced earlier this year that the force would benefit from £1.2m in funding as part of its "hotspot" policing trial.

There will be about 30,000 extra hours of patrols undertaken over nine months, Essex Police said.

The government hopes the trial will include youth outreach.

The 11 neighbourhoods were chosen based on crime data for the last five years

Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst said: "By tackling these issues early, we can stamp out this behaviour and make it very clear this is not acceptable."

The force said ASB had actually fallen in the county by more than 60% since 2016, but that there were still 18,771 offences recorded in the 12 months to May 2023.

Michael Ugwa was murdered at Lakeside shopping centre in April 2022

The 11 hotspots were identified using the last five years of crime data along with feedback from the public and police partner organisations, the force said.

One of the chosen areas, Lakeside shopping centre, was where father-of-three Michael Ugwa was murdered in April 2022.

The teams will tackle issues such as littering, graffiti, fly-tipping, street drinking and noise nuisance by issuing fixed penalty notices as well as verbal and written warnings, a spokesperson said.

Deputy chief constable Andy Prophet said: "This additional investment is fantastic and will allow us to do even more work where the need is greatest."

The 11 areas include:

• Clacton-on-Sea (Tendring)

• Cowdray Avenue (Colchester)

• Greenstead (Colchester)

• Moulsham Street (Chelmsford)

• Railway Square (Brentwood)

• Stow shopping centre (Harlow)

• Debden (Epping Forest)

• Lakeside including Chafford Hundred Railway Station (Thurrock)

• Elm Green (Basildon)

• Maple Square (Southend-on-Sea)

• Southchurch Road (Southend-on-Sea)