TOWN residents have backed a campaigner’s hopes to bring back a police station to the town.

Gemma Artus, from Halstead, hopes to bring back a new police station to her town, to help the fight against crime.

The town’s police station was one of a group of 15 that closed in March 2016 and was later turned into housing.

Gemma voiced her concerns saying that in her two years of living in Halstead, she has heard about some horrible events, most recently the killing of baby ducklings.

She also launched a petition to bring back a police station to Halstead on the Government’s website, but it was rejected because the Government and Parliament are not directly responsible for police stations.

In a response, Essex Police insisted Halstead is a safe place to live and work.

A spokesman said it is police officers who keep communities safe and not police buildings.

He also said: “We have dedicated teams which work across the town to patrol our streets as well as disrupt, prevent, and detect crime.

“Incidents of antisocial behaviour have dropped by 50 per cent across the Braintree district  of which Halstead is a part  in the last 12 months.”

However, some members of the community have supported the call for a new police station to be reinstated in the town on social media.

Kala Dowsett agreed, saying: "100 per cent we need a police station and police presence in the town again."

Tristan Cook said: “There used to always be a big police presence in the 80s and 90s and Halstead always had a police station not having one is an open invitation for criminal activity.”

Michelle Till added: “We definitely need a police station back in our town.

“I have said for years all the emergency services should be in one building. It would be a win win for everyone.”

Paul Green likened the situation to fire stations having a police annex attached to the building.

He said: “Many fire stations across the county have a police annexe built on the side.

Both fire and police benefit from the same building, reduced costs, information sharing and a constant police presence - everyone is a winner.

“It would be a cheap option to reinstate a police station and somewhere for residents to go with concerns.”