The Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit has been awarded £1,160,000 from the Home Office to continue its work to tackle County Lines and support young, vulnerable people from criminal exploitation.

The funding, which is for 2021/22, is a share of £35.5million which has been awarded to the 18 Violence Reduction Units operating across England and Wales in areas worst affected by serious violence. It is the third year of Home Office funding and takes the total invested in Violence Reduction Units to more than £105 million.

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and Chair of the Violence and Vulnerability Unit said:

“Violence has no place in our society. We must tackle violence at its root cause and work with the public and partners to create the safe and secure communities we all want and which allow all of us to flourish and prosper.

“Gangs that exploit people and coerce them into a life of crime are preying on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. While no agency can tackle this alone, in Essex we know that working together, through our Violence and Vulnerability Unit, can turn the tide against these gangs, protect the vulnerable and help to ensure we all live prosperous and productive lives."

Supporting Essex County Neighbourhood Watch 

Essex residents are being reminded of personal and home safety precautions during lockdown.

Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Association works to advise residents on how to keep safe, as well as sharing information on crimes in their local area.
The organisation – which has 140,000 members in Essex – has had to adapt some of the ways it works this year, in line with other organisations and businesses following government guidance against Covid-19.

The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC) contributed £15,000 to Essex County Neighbourhood Watch Association from the 2019/2020 Community Safety Development Fund to allow the 14 district groups to run their projects.

Find out more

Don't let your cooking turn into a kitchen nightmare

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service are urging everyone to stay safe while cooking at home to avoid having a kitchen nightmare.

Each year cooking causes more accidental fire in the home than anything else. And it’s not just kitchens that are being destroyed. Cooking-related fires tend to result in the most injuries and the second most fatalities.

Will Newman, Head of Prevention said: “With the country in another lockdown and our favourite restaurants and café temporarily shut, everyone is now cooking more at home which is increasing the risk of fire. But something as simple as setting timers for your cooking could help reduce the risk of fire.

“Every month we get called to a number of fires which start after someone has become distracted and forget they have food cooking. Distractions can be anything from a phone call or simply leaving the kitchen to watch television, but whatever it is that takes your attention away from cooking could become deadly."

Find out how to stay safe when cooking