Southend is one of 'England's theft capitals'

Figures released this week list 339 towns and cities across England and Wales, and the amount of crime committed in each of them between March and August 2021.

Only 20 places had more crimes committed per person than Southend, while Basildon was 45th on the list.

Overall there were 14,072 crimes reported over the six months in Southend, the equivalent of one every 20 minutes.

When each town and city is weighted by its population, Southend was third for the amount of vehicle theft, ninth for theft from a person, tenth for bicycle theft, 31st for shoplifting, and third for other theft.

The town was also eighth for burglary and 13th for robbery.

Basildon was also a theft hotspot, being 18th for bicycle theft, 22nd for robbery, and 30th for both vehicle theft and burglary.

Martin Terry, Southend councillor for public protection, offered police his full support for both the hard work of officers and the continuing efforts of senior staff.

But he said a lot of blame should be attached to the Government’s decision to slash police funding and numbers under Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010.

He said: “They are investing now, but this is only replacing what was cut in 2010. I think that was one of the biggest mistakes of our time in domestic policy.

“And along with the cuts to funding, the police’s responsibilities have been expanded too. The Government can’t have it both ways, yet we see police being stretched to the limit when there are incidents like the murder of Sir David Amess, or officers from Essex being sent to COP26 in Scotland.”

Essex Police emphasised that overall recorded crime in Southend remains at a similar level to the previous 12 months, while in Basildon it had reduced.

A spokesman said: “The Southend and Basildon districts remain safe places to live, work, and study.

"Figures for the year to the end of October show that overall recorded crime in Southend remains at a similar level to the previous 12 months, while in Basildon it’s reduced.

"In Southend, we’ve seen fewer burglaries, thefts from vehicles, shoplifting, and incidents of anti-social behaviour while vehicle thefts have dropped by more than 40 percent.

"In Basildon, burglaries are down by a third, there have been more than 110 fewer violence with injury offences and we’ve also seen fewer robberies, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles, and shoplifting incidents.

"We continue to invest to increase the number of brave officers protecting and serving Essex.

"By next March we expect to have more than 3,369 officers helping people, keeping people safe, and catching criminals.

"In recent years this investment has seen new Town Centre Teams, dedicated to dealing with issues on your doorstep.

"Specialist officers continue to investigate sexual offences and domestic offences – supporting victims and putting criminals behind bars.

"Since February, our Op Raptor South Team has disrupted or shut down around 90 county lines, made more than 160 arrests, and secured charges against more than 120 people.

"And work to keep you safe next summer is already beginning with officers and partners in Southend already working on a pan to reduce serious violence in all its forms."