THE COMMUNITY SAFETY TEAM:

The team was set up by Southend Council in 2019 in response to a high level of complaints about anti-social behaviour etc., There are currently seven members of staff to cover the entire City, (which includes the beach huts along the promenade and round to East Beach).

They are available from 9am to 10pm every day.

Their role includes, receiving complaints, e.g. Damage to beach huts, investigating, issuing warnings, prosecuting and taking action in Court. Patrolling is a comparatively small area of their work.

REPORTING INCIDENTS:

The Team work with the police and have a presence in Southend’s Police station, the Civic Centre and the CCTV office.

It was stressed how important it is to report any matters about behaviour/crime etc., This allows areas of concern to be identified and enables them to target their limited resources where needed.

Reports need to be made to Southend City Council, by-

• If there is a threat of harm or risk to safety, then call 999.

• If there are concerns relating to break-ins, or arson attempts etc., call 101.

• (101 is the non-emergency number to call the police in the UK) 

• If the threats are low level, i.e. concerns about rough sleeping etc., then use ‘My Southend’ on the Councils website to register the matter www.southend.gov.uk/

An acknowledgement/advice should always be given that action is being taken.

It was stressed to call asap as this could enable CCTV checks to be made and resources targeted appropriately.

CCTV COVERAGE:

We have good coverage in Southend overall, it has been said ‘it is the best in Essex’.

A new CCTV camera was put up at East Beach about 18-months ago, and this provides pretty good coverage of the beach huts there.

The CCTV camera by the main slip way (along the promenade) works well and can see along the promenade for a good distance. Therefore, do call in if there is a problem, because they may be able to use this camera to see if any possible perpetrators are still in the area.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES:

Speeding of boats/jet skis etc., is not something that is dealt with by the Council. It is the Police Marine Unit. The cameras on the pier can see across to Uncle Toms cabin on a clear day.

Use of personal watercraft in a restricted area is controlled by the Council’s Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).

Issues with cyclists on the promenade. This depends on where it is - it could be controlled by a PSPO - or sometimes the foreshore officers are involved.

BBQs on the beach/restricted areas is controlled by PSPOs.

Dogs on the beach are controlled by PSPOs.

PSPOs can be enforced by the police, council enforcement officers or any other authorised officers. There is a fixed penalty of £100, which if paid within 14 days will prevent prosecution. 

THE ‘SAFE SPACE’:

This is a Southend initiative set up to help anyone feeling vulnerable or in difficulty on weekend evenings in Southend. It is located at the top of Southend High Street. It is staffed by members of Southend Community Policing Team (CPT), Southend City Council’s Community Safety Officers, representatives of drug and alcohol charity Open Road, and street pastors.

ENFORCEMENT BODIES:

There are many different enforcement bodies in Southend, from the Police, the Council’s Community Safety Team, the Foreshore Officers, the Marine Police and others!

The Council website contains sections on all matters concerning Community Safety and suggests a variety of measures that can be taken to ensure residents, businesses and visitors of Southend-on-Sea are kept safe.