Essex Police host PM Rishi Sunak in Chelmsford visit

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington has welcomed the Government’s focus on antisocial behaviour - and has made clear that it’s only through working with key partners that the issue will be tackled effectively.

Mr Harrington welcomed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman to Chelmsford this morning (March 27) to discuss the issues affecting Essex communities and how we’re tackling them alongside our partners.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary were then taken on patrol in the city.

Chief Constable Harrington said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister and Home Secretary to the county and tell them about the great work we are doing in Essex to tackle criminals and cut crime.

“That’s a real testament to the work of our officers who are out there doing a really difficult job across the county 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

The PM and Home Secretary were taken out on a patrol in the city (Image: Essex Police)

He added: “High visibility policing is a key part of approach to driving down crime and antisocial behaviour in Essex.

“In the last 12 months, we’ve seen the number of incidents of antisocial behaviour fall by just over one-third (34 per cent) – that’s 11,482 fewer incidents.

“We’re also seeing violence fall across the county, with 3,443 fewer incidents last year and the number of drug offences dropping by almost 4 per cent, with 211 fewer reports.

“Tackling crime and antisocial behaviour relies on more than just good policing; it requires the thoughtful inter-agency working we enjoy across Essex, with the police, local authorities and others addressing issues together.

“We’re not complacent; there’s always more to do but the direction of travel is really positive.

“Essex is a bigger force than ever before and that means more officers out on the streets patrolling, responding to emergency incidents and detecting crime than at any point in our history and we’re determined to do all we can to make sure the positive trend continues.”

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Deputy Chief Constable Prophet, who also leads nationally for the NPCC on antisocial behaviour, added: “I welcome the government’s focus on ASB. It is only through working together that policing, local authorities and other agencies will effectively combat anti-social behaviour in our communities.

“For us it’s simple: tackle those responsible and target activity in locations where crime and ASB is most prevalent.

“Our town centre teams are a really important example of this. Their focus is on being visible in local communities, preventing crime and building on the high levels of public trust and confidence which we work hard to maintain in Essex.”