RESIDENTS are being urged to report all incidents of anti-social behaviour after figures revealed a 30 per cent spike in incidents.

A crime map released by Police.uk showed Halstead has seen 212 reported incidents of anti-social behaviour so far in 2021 with data revealed up to July.

The figures show a 30 per cent rise in cases when compared to figures recorded in the same period in January to July 2020.

In that period, there were just 163 incidents of anti-social behaviour, 30 per cent less than in 2021.

Halstead town councillor and policing champion Garry Warren says to tackle the issue, residents need to make sure to report all incidents are reported to the police.

He said:

“There is no doubt that lockdown combined with a lack of resources caused by police cuts over many years has led to people not only believing they can get away with such behaviour, but that people feel it’s not worth reporting as police won’t respond.

“I condemn all anti-social behaviour and fully encourage people to report every instance.

“By reporting everything, we send a clear message to the police commissioner and the Home Secretary, that this is not an issue we are prepared to tolerate and that more police are needed.”

Essex Police echoed Mr Warren’s calls to report incidents.

A spokesman said: “Every incident reported as anti-social behaviour is reviewed by officers and will be investigated, taking into account any threat, harm and risk to the public and those directly affected.

“We carry out patrols and operations to target anti-social behaviour and issues associated with anti-social behaviour, such as street drinking and nuisance vehicles, and we encourage our residents to report their concerns.

“Our community policing team engages in a multi-agency problem solving approach to try and reduce or resolve anti-social behaviour.

“We work with our partners as part of the Community Safety Partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour cases – this partnership includes, Braintree Council, housing associations, mental health, social care, police, education, drug and alcohol specialists, youth services, fire, probation and other agencies.

“As a partnership we discuss cases and take appropriate action to reduce anti-social behaviour across the district.”