Patrols to start in Essex locations visited by asylum seekers
Summary
Essex County Council will start a three-month pilot program with private security guards patrolling three towns where asylum seekers often visit. The patrols aim to reduce anti-social behavior and make residents feel safer, even though police say crime linked to asylum seekers in the area is very low.Key Facts
- Six trained security guards will patrol Braintree, Colchester, and Chelmsford every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The program, called Operation Vanguard, starts Monday and lasts three months.
- The patrols respond to local residents' concerns about gatherings of male asylum seekers from a nearby facility.
- Essex Police chief says crime related to asylum seekers at Wethersfield is very low and there is no need for worry.
- Some local politicians warn the program could cause divisions or be ineffective if the guards do not work with existing police.
- The pilot is funded with £150,000 from an existing community fund and will not increase taxes.
- The government plans to increase the number of male migrants housed at the Wethersfield airbase from 800 to 1,220.
- Data shows foreign nationals in England and Wales have crime conviction rates similar to British nationals.
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