MP'S COLUMN
Anna fights to make Southend Safer!
S
outhend must be a safe place for us all to live, work and visit. But too often we have to put up with appalling violence and anti-social behaviour. Youths fighting in broad daylight with large knives is, quite simply, unacceptable.
Getting knives off our streets and tackling anti-social behaviour is a major challenge and there is no magic fix, but there are some things we can and must do right NOW. Firstly, we must back the work of our excellent local Pub Watch scheme that shares much needed intelligence between the Police and other pubs, as well as a co-ordinated campaign to stop repeat offenders from accessing licenced premises. Secondly, we must get enhanced CCTV in crime hotspots and I am fighting for this to happen.
Better equipment Most importantly, we must make sure we have enough police officers on our streets and that they have the equipment they need to make our streets safer. Last year Southend Police ran a very successful summer operation called Operation Union and I am pleased that this is being repeated through the summer holiday period. However, we must ensure our police
have better equipment to detect offensive weapons and take them off individuals before they have the chance to use them and cause injury.
Cheaper and more effective I am working hard to secure the funding and supply of new stateof-the-art electronic knife-poles for our local police. This full-body scan system is completely portable, takes up very little space and is cheaper and more effective than the 20-year-old knife-arch systems that have been used before. It has also been trialled successfully in other parts of the Country. I have repeatedly contacted the Chief Constable of Essex Police, the Essex Police Crime Commissioner, and the Southend District Commander at Essex Police to get some movement on this issue, but still nothing has been done. Making Southend West safer is my top priority, and I will not allow this issue to drop nor allow violence to go unchallenged in our community.
by Anna Firth MP Conservative MP for Southend West anna.firth.mp@parliament.uk
See Anna Firth MP press release on the news page on Oracle's website
As ever, if you have any issues I can help with, please contact me on anna.firth.mp@parliament.uk. 22
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July 2022
