POLICE chiefs insist Basildon and Southend are safe places to live.

In response to the latest figures from reported crime in January, Essex Police say crime in both areas continues to fall.

This comes after a third of crime in Basildon were violent or sexual offences, and two thirds of crime in Southend were anti-social behaviour and violent or sexual offences.

A spokesman said: “In the year to the end of February 2021, there were 2,700 fewer victim-based crimes reported in Southend while in across the Basildon district there were more than 1,700 fewer.

“Both districts are seeing fewer violence with injury offences with 22 per cent fewer offences in Southend and 12 per cent fewer in Basildon.

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“Across both districts there have been fewer reports of sexual offences while in Basildon there’s been a fall in robberies.

“Both areas have also seen big falls in the number of burglaries, vehicle thefts, and vehicle break-ins meaning you are safer and your property is safer.

“And some of these crime types were falling even before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Officers continue to be out across both districts responding to community concerns regarding anti-social behaviour.

“And we have specialist teams tackling domestic and sexual abuse, while our Operation Raptor teams continue to tackle drugs and street gangs.

“Breaches of the Government’s Covid-19 regulations are recorded as anti-social behaviour which is why there has been an increase in recorded anti-social behaviour.”

The force issued figures from February 2020 to February 2021.

In Basildon, there were 1,735 fewer victim-based crimes reported, a drop of almost seven percent, 227 fewer violence with injury offences, a drop of more than 12 per cent, and 89 fewer sexual offences, a drop of 15 per cent.

There was also 39 fewer robberies, a fall of almost 16 per cent, 398 fewer burglaries, down 34 per cent, 157 fewer vehicle thefts, a drop of 26 per cent,and 156 fewer thefts from vehicles, a drop of 18 per cent.

While in Southend, there were 127 fewer burglaries, a fall of 12 per cent, 261 fewer vehicle thefts, a drop of 46 per cent, and 259 fewer thefts from vehicles, a drop of 35 per cent.