The Mayor introduced the Chief Superintendent, Sean O’Callaghan, the Assistant Chief Constable, Maurice Mason and Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner, to the meeting of Council and asked that they deliver their presentation which would then be followed by questions by Members.

The Police and Crime Commissioner thanked the Mayor and Members for inviting Essex Police to Thurrock Council and how important it was to engage with Members on Thurrock matters. A very detailed presentation was given by the Police and Crime Commissioner and the Assistant Chief Constable to Members on the key local issues the Police faced:

•           Key issues from the Community Safety Partnership and that the priorities of Thurrock will form part of the Police and Crime Plan.

•           Sexual Violence – Domestic cases had been addressed in the manifesto in May.

•           Road Safety – A serious issue in Essex that was being addressed by the police road unit.

•           Gangs Conference – Gang activity was increasing in Essex and had received extra funding for new projects.

•           Re-Structure of Community Police – This will be introduced into community hubs.

•           Community Police – There are ten Special Police Officers and ten Specials lead by Inspector Lee Argent.

•           Anti-Social Behaviour – Slightly down in the last few months but remains the forefront of achievements in partnerships.

•           Multi Agency Safeguard Hub – It had excellent information sharing and being one of the best in the country.

•           Training – Five thousand staff have been trained to be more aware and how to deal with vulnerability.

•           Violence with Injury – Figures were slightly up.

•           Safety – Essex was the fifteenth safest place out of forty-three in the country.

•           Specials – Recruitment of 162 specials over the next twelve months and with the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner this will double in size. These will be placed into communities and safety teams.

•           Community Safety Hubs – Have a good reputation in Thurrock with good information sharing and that the community safely plan will form part of this.

•           Active Citizen – Recruiting of neighbours and friends to be more aware of residents around them.

•           On-Line Fraud – One million pounds will be invested into digital to compact on-line fraud and to protect those most vulnerable.

•           Hate Crime – This has risen in Thurrock by 50 per cent since the EU Referendum and that operations were already in place to address this.

Members raised the following questions:

Councillor Redsell – What was being done about the motorbikes that were causing mayhem across the borough? It was stated that further analysis would be undertaken with the police road unit to identify trends and patterns and that Essex Police have and will continue to be deployed to deal with incidents. The Police and Crime Commissioner would send details of what had already been achieved so far to Members.

Councillor S Little – Why were there delays when residents rang 101? It was confirmed that 92 per cent of 101 calls were answered within seconds and that the delay was with placing the call with the appropriate officer and on average there was a 2 minute wait. An investigation would be undertaken to identify the best way forward, to look at the costs and time of calls being answered against the service that was already in place.

Councillor Jones – What were Essex Police views on sharing premises with other emergency services such as Fire or Ambulance sites? It was stated that more would be done to share accommodation with other services and that advanced work was already in place with the fire service. Essex Police were also visiting schools within the borough to educate children.

Councillor Piccolo – If an off-road facility for motorbikes in the borough could be made available would this be supported by Essex Police? It was stated that if sufficient funding could be made available then yes this could be an option.

Councillor Smith – Agreed with other Members that bikers were a nuisance in the borough and that this should be prevented. It was confirmed that this was obviously a concern felt by more than one member and will be taken away and discussed with the Police Community Team.

Councillor Pothecary – Were the police stations in Tilbury and Ockendon still planned to be closed? It was stated that no decisions would be reversed on the closure of police stations and that police officers should be more present in the community. Trends and patterns would be analysed on anti-social behaviour within the borough and would form part of the community safety plan.

Councillor Hague – What assurances can you give to residents of Thurrock that the threat of gangs to areas, such as Lakeside, was in hand? It was stated that significant arrests had taken place, with very good communications in place with the Metropolitan Police. More operations were being undertaken with stop and search proving a success. Monies had also been contributed by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Councillor Cherry – How many police officers were non-operational? It was stated that great strides were being made to address the high proportion of officers on sick leave. It was also stated that although officers were not necessary available for operational work they would be working in the back office.

Councillor Tolson – With 46 per cent of hate crime been recorded in Essex how did this relate to Thurrock? It was stated that the 46 per cent related to 46 offences in Essex with very few of those offences in Thurrock.

Councillor Okunade – What forward planning and steps are being taken to protect residents of Thurrock? It was stated that the model used revolves around public protection, a serious crime directorate to deal with gangs and the local community police who will deal best with the local community issues.

Councillor Spillman – What assurances can you give residents that crimes were being recorded correctly? It was stated that a very robust approach to recording crimes was in place and Essex were the second best in the country for data accuracy. Essex Police would not become complacent and would continue to maintain high standards.

Councillor Ojetola – What links do the police have with gangs and multiple occupational homes? It was stated that gangs were buying and dealing from these premises and that inter agency action was in place and the community safety hubs were also in place to ensure the community was a safer place.

Councillor Hebb – What work was being done to reach the unreachable? It was stated that these were normally those people who did not feel safe or afraid to speak out and that any damaged repetition of the trust of the police needs would need to be rectified. The use of Crime Stoppers would need to promoted and used in these situations.

Councillor Watkins – Will there be any future Resident and Police Events in the next year? It was confirmed that yes there will be future events as these events enabled Essex Police to track any trends and patterns in areas, however, police visibility was also important online.

Councillor Gerrish – What was in place to help educate residents to ring 101/999 if they have felt the system has failed them in the past? It was stated that this was a concern that some calls were being missed and that calls were monitored and this would be addressed so that the service improved.

The Police and Crime Commissioner thanked the Mayor and Members for inviting Essex Police to the council meeting and had received some good feedback to take away and asked Members to continue with questions and feedback by emailing himself or the Assistant Chief Constable.

The Mayor thanked the Chief Superintendent, Assistant Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner for attending.