Colchester residents have been urged to work with the Police to fight crime and make their neighbourhoods safer.
In a public meeting held at Colchester Town Hall on Monday 27th November, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst and the Colchester District Commander, Shaun Kane addressed residents’ concerns and outlined their plans for the future of policing in Colchester.
Speaking to a full house in the Grand Jury Room, Mr Kane called upon residents to make use of modern technologies and to act as the eyes and ears of their neighbourhoods.
Mr Kane urged residents to make use of the online reporting facility Essex Police- do it online in non-emergency cases.
There was concern from residents that Special Constables were being recruited on a volunteer basis, as a result of funding cuts and that this was impacting on the quality of policing in Colchester.
Following concerns from residents in Colchester’s Dutch Quarter around the lack of visible policing, in particular following events held in the Town’s Castle Park, such as the recent Oktoberfest, Mr Kane made a plea for public assistance.
Mr Kane went on to praise Dave Harris (Lab), Councillor for Berechurch for the way he worked with the police to deliver a “Street Week” during October.
Street Weeks are recognised by the Home Office as Good Practice and are where the Police and a number of other agencies work together in a set location for 7 days, 24 hours a day to maximise the impact of co-working in Neighbourhoods.
“They won’t always be held in areas with the highest crime levels, but where the biggest impact is made. I am hoping that more Street Weeks will lead to an increase in Active Citizen applications”.
Active Citizens are people who actively take responsibility and initiative in areas of public concern such as crime prevention and the local community. More information about becoming and Active Citizen can be found here.
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