Working together to make Essex a safe and secure community

Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter. This is a great way for us to talk to you directly about what we are doing, working with our colleagues in the emergency services and other partners to make Essex a safe and secure community – a bedrock on which we can build success and well being for all.

We plan to publish a newsletter bi-monthly. However if you would like to hear more from us regularly, you can subscribe to our alerts service which will mean the latest news and information published on our website will be delivered directly to your inbox.

The main theme of this first edition is to tell you where the 215 additional police officers Essex Police is recruiting following my recent budget will be going. They will make a big difference to your town centres and communities. You told me you wanted to see more police officers and we are making this happen. You will also be able to find out more about Essex’s first Fire and Rescue Plan, which we published on March 1^st. This Plan sets out the vision and priorities for the delivery of fire and rescue services in Essex. It runs from 2019 to 2024 and is the basis on which I will hold Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to account for its performance. The document mirrors the Police and Crime Plan, which sets the priorities for policing in Essex.

It is not only a first for Essex but is the first Fire and Rescue Plan in the country produced under the new legislation.

Roger Hirst,

Your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex

More local, visible & accessible policing for Essex with launch of town centre teams

Today, there are more police officers serving the county than this time last year.

Essex Police has grown and further investment in local policing is continuing with the establishment of 23 dedicated Town Centre Teams.

There are now 218 more officers in varying stages of their training journey bringing the number of police officers in the county to 3,046.

This time last year there were 2,950 officers in the force.

The latest uplift in officer numbers was made possible by an increase in the policing precept part of council tax last year and the focus for the new officers will be to provide visible local policing in all of our communities.

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Essex’s Fire and Rescue Plan officially launched at Chelmsford Fire Station   Essex’s first ever Fire and Rescue Plan was launched at a special event held at Chelmsford Fire Station. Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, has developed a Fire and Rescue Plan that sets out the vision and priorities for the delivery of fire and rescue services in Essex. The plan runs from 2019 to 2024 and is the basis on which Roger holds Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to account for its performance.   Read More

Parents, Did You Know? campaign taking place this week   We’re working with the Essex Safeguarding Children Board this week to make sure you know about child exploitation #KnowAboutCE Throughout the week, we have been sharing messages from the Essex Safeguarding Children Board who will be encouraging parents to improve their understanding of what constitutes child exploitation (CE) through the ‘Parents, Did You Know?’ campaign. Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex said: “Protecting children from harm is one of the key priorities in my Police and Crime Plan and while most children will not fall victim to sexual or criminal exploitation, trafficking, gangs or youth violence, it is vital that all parents and carers know how to make them aware of the dangers and also learn how to recognise tell-tale signs of abuse.”   Read More

PFCC gives £300,000 to groups to help prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour   Voluntary and community safety groups across Essex will receive a funding boost thanks to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex’s Community Safety Development Fund. The £300,000 fund offers grants of up to £20,000 for community projects that help to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in Essex. Groups or projects can bid for money three times a year. The last round for the financial year closed on 31st January 2019. It was a competitive process with 99 applications received and 25 projects awarded funding.   Read More