16 days of activism 

began with White Ribbon Day this week at Southend Victoria Station.

Our Transport Safety Officers Championed Safety for woman and girls with the event showcasing the critical role of TSOs in promoting safety and addressing antisocial behaviour on the city’s rail networks, with a strong focus on protecting women and girls.

Introduced earlier this year through a Department for Transport (DfT)-funded pilot programme, TSOs have been patrolling the Greater Anglia line since February and the c2c line since October.

During the event, TSOs engaged with commuters alongside representatives from the Southend Community Safety Partnership (CSP), including police officers, community safety officers, and Southend Street Pastors. This collaboration highlighted the collective effort to enhance public safety across Southend.

The event at Southend Victoria Train Station coincided with the launch of the council's participation in White Ribbon Day and the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, running until 10th December.

Southend Against Modern Slavery

Members of the Community Safety team attended the Anti-Slavery Partnership conference last month which saw speakers from the three anti-slavery partnerships in Essex. We heard the good work they are doing and their plans for the future to raise awareness of modern-day slavery and protecting vulnerable people from being targeted into modern day slavery. We also heard of their ongoing work with survivors of modern day slavery to support them back into work or education, assist with signposting for housing needs and their integration back into their local communities.

It was interesting to hear how a team of volunteers work with Southend Against Modern Slavery (SAMS) to act as befrienders and mentors to those impacted and how invaluable their work is.

You can find out more about the work of SAMS and crucially, how to spot the signs of slavery and how to report concerns at: Southend Against Modern Slavery Partnership

SAMS Partnership Website

CCTV Invaluable

according to the thanks of Essex Police who praised our CCTV Operators for two separate incidents.

Operators were able to quickly assist in the manhunt of an individual due to continued efforts within the CCTV control room. This lead to a swift arrest and fantastic partnership working between Essex Police and our operators.

Further praise was given in the assistance of 3 arrests which led to individuals being charged and remanded in Custody in relation to Class A Drug Offences.

Those arrests were due to a great demonstration of team work, and clear communications between Essex Police and the CCTV Operators, leading to swift arrests taking place.

Do you know how to report a Hate Crime?

As part of Hate Crime Awareness Week we held various events to promote both the reporting of hate crime, and if you wish to report, how you can do so.

Have you heard of HIRCS?

These are hate incident reporting centres designed to allow people to report incidents in other venues if they would prefer not to report to the police.

Find out more hate crime information by visiting our website:

Community Safety Website

Fines Have Been Issued

with Street Drinkers and Car Cruisers being the latest individuals to face large penalties.

Members of our community safety team work hard pursuing these individuals to court. Due to this hard work, we was able to obtain some fantastic outcomes.  A total of £620 worth of fines have been issued. We hope this acts as a deterrent for others to not cause such issues in Southend On Sea.

Essex Housing Award Winner

We’re thrilled to share the news that South Essex Homes was honoured with an Essex Housing Award in the 'Healthy Housing' category at last Thursday's prestigious ceremony.  This award recognises our efforts in raising awareness of domestic abuse (DA) and supporting DA survivors living in the properties we manage.

This achievement was made possible thanks to the dedicated work of our staff - through the frontline work of our Housing Community Safety Team, as well as those working across the organisation who played a vital role behind the scenes.  Their contributions led to our accreditation from the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA) last year.

Team members from South Essex Homes attended the event - held at Greenwoods Hotel & Spa in Stock, alongside representatives from councils, housing organisations, and building firms across Essex – and were proud to accept the award on behalf of everyone in the organisation.