HARLOW Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, Councillor Joel Charles, has welcomed the publication of the new policing and firefighting priorities for Essex.

Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, has published the final versions of his Police and Crime Plan and Fire and Rescue Plan, following a consultation exercise over the summer. Both are required by law and are put in place to provide strategic direction to the county’s police and fire service up until 2028 and aim to improve public confidence in the actions taken to keep local communities safe.

The overarching policing pledge announced by the Commissioner is to reduce crime in Essex by a further 40 per cent. There are a range of other commitments in his Police and Crime Plan, including: improving police visibility; driving down anti-social behaviour; tackling violence against women and girls; and ensuring vulnerable people are protected.

Reducing road deaths to zero and making buildings safer form part of the list of priorities included in the separate Fire and Rescue Plan. The number of home safety visits will also be increased by fire crews over the life of the plan, which is a positive step forward.

The council submitted a detailed response as part of the Commissioner’s consultation – its recommendations on partnership working, managing major incidents and the need to invest more in prevention activity have been adopted as part of each delivery plan.

Councillor Joel Charles, the council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said:

“Making Harlow’s streets safer, confronting all forms of anti-social behaviour and putting in place the right plan to best respond to fire incidents is important. The publication of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s priorities for the next four years matters locally because they collectively add an injection of new momentum that will complement the council’s existing work on community safety.

“The overall 40 per cent crime reduction target is ambitious and should be welcomed. Further investment in community-led solutions aimed at eliminating anti-social behaviour hotspots is also backed by the council. Continuing to focus on drug dealing, violence against women and girls, and the pledge to improve road safety, when combined, help form the right approach. There is a specific pledge on stalking – the council’s consultation submission recommended that action to tackle such a crime should be included as part of the draft priorities.

“A stronger focus on the fire safety of new housing and industrial developments is something everyone can get behind. It is good news that enhancing the fire service’s enforcement capability is included as a priority.

“All the policing and firefighting priorities will be driven forward through partnership working – a more joined-up approach is the best way to deliver a safer county and district.

“It is the council’s ambition to better enable the delivery of a more local approach to policing and firefighting. The direction set by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is encouraging and the council looks forward to working closely with him to realise his plans.”