MP'S COLUMN
Anna against anti-social behaviour
I
am absolutely committed to tackling anti-social behaviour in our town, and have made this one of my top priorities. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area, with Leighon-Sea recognised as being one of the best places to live in the whole of the UK. I can entirely see why so many visitors want to come and enjoy our beautiful local area, especially in the summer months.
by Anna Firth MP Conservative MP for Southend West anna@annafirth.org.uk See Anna Firth MP press release on the news page on Oracle's website
However, too often our local community has been the victim of horrendous levels of anti-social behaviour, with people coming to our town and drinking, taking drugs and causing damage to people and property. I am absolutely committed to ensuring that this summer local residents do not have to endure this kind of behaviour.
Safe and happy community
I have been actively engaging with the police on tackling this issue. I have met with local police officers to discuss what more can be done.
Last year we had the extremely successful Operation Union in the town, with more police patrols in the evenings and weekends throughout the summer, and I am pushing for it to return this summer. I am also supporting the work of Pub Watch, which allows our local pubs and bars to tackle street drinking, drug dealing, and underage drinking. I am calling for state-of-the-art knife poles to be installed, and for the installation of CCTV cameras in Old Leigh. I am delighted that we will be getting more police offices to join those already on our streets, bringing the total to fifteen, and I am working with the local community to ensure that they are properly targeted. I will continue to monitor this situation throughout the summer, and will do all I can to ensure that we can live in a safe and happy community.
As ever, if you have any issues I can help with, please contact me on anna.firth.mp@parliament.uk. 26
www.oraclepublications.co.uk
May 2022
