w/c 16 August 2021
Essex Police’s Operation Union is a partnership plan backed by emergency services, local authorities and surrounding businesses – including many Southend BID businesses. The operation is dedicated to keeping Southend safe throughout the summer and over recent months, their team has worked tirelessly to protect our town. Additional high visibility patrols have taken place every day in an effort to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area, whilst reassuring local residents and visitors as government restrictions have eased.
We would like to thank the Operation Union team for their exceptional results over recent weeks. For example, in just one day (Thursday 12th August), three arrests were made, 4 stop searches completed, 2 intelligence reports submitted, 12 incidents attended, 2 licenced premises visits completed, chalkwell fair was patrolled, a missing child was located and returned to their parents with the help of our Street Ranger team and a joint exercise was conducted on the seafront alongside fire services and the RNLI. These incredible efforts reflect how dedicated the team are to Southend-on-Sea, their enthusiasm is unwavering and they’ve made an undeniable difference in an incredibly short space of time.
Essex Police’s hard work also couldn’t have come at a better time for our community. As government restrictions have been lifted, Southend-on-Sea has welcomed a wonderful influx of visitors back to our town, whilst local residents have returned to some degree of normality. Anti-social behaviour and incidents of crime posed a risk to every individual and, furthermore, the post-pandemic recovery of local businesses. By making our town safer, Essex Police’s Operation Union has supported local businesses’ trade and helped to shape a positive future for Southend-on-Sea.
The operation will be actively working throughout Southend until 5th September. Up until this point, and thereafter, our passionate Street Rangers will also be operating throughout the town 7 days a week; engaging with local businesses, addressing anti-social behaviour and proactively working to keep our area protected and supported, they are on-hand in urgent situations.
I would also like to thank everyone who has responded to positively to our announcement of 10 proposed firework displays. Meanwhile, I would like to reassure our local community that these events will be held in a respectful manner and we will be utilising eco-conscious fireworks; approximately 95% of the debris that would be dispersed during our displays consists of biodegradable cardboard and paper. As always, we endeavour to oversee events that bring our community together and celebrate our town – as such, our Street Rangers will be helping to address any residual waste post-event, keeping our beautiful seafront clean and protected.
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