Whether you are a resident of mine in Billericay East or not, if you are reading this then I hope that you and your families are staying safe and well.
It is a very difficult time for many people and I am conscious that we all need to pull together and support our community, perhaps more so than we ever have before.
In particular, Essex Police have a difficult job on their hands and I am hoping that we will all have seen what they have been trying to achieve over the recent weeks; providing reassurance to the community. Anyone who follows the Basildon Borough Community Policing Team on Facebook (and, if you don’t, you should!) will know that they have been carrying out their duties with dedication, compassion and no small amount of good humour! At what is a very trying time for all of us, that is no mean feat.
Throughout the nearly 7 years that I have been a borough councillor for Billericay East, and in all the public meetings I have attended in that time – including the recent Together for Safer Communities meeting that Billericay councillors organised at Hannikins Farm – visibility of police officers has been something that residents have highlighted as a priority time and time again.
I have been very pleased with the concerted effort that the Basildon CPT – in particular the excellent new Billericay Town Centre Team – have been making to be as visible as possible. They have actively listened and responded to residents’ comments and concerns, taking in key locations such as our NHS buildings, vulnerable locations, retailers and open spaces. They have tried to engage with as many people as possible, extending their engagement to daily Facebook question and answer sessions too.
I was recently contacted by Inspector Parry of the Basildon CPT asking me to assist me in getting a better understanding of what is being seen or felt in our local communities in terms of their policing approach.
So, residents; please give me your feedback!
- What are your perceptions?
- Do you have any frustrations?
- Are there areas of policing where you think Essex Police are doing particularly well or areas where they need to do better?
- Do you have any ideas?
Please send any comments to me directly at andrew.schrader@members.basildon.gov.uk and I will feed these back to Inspector Parry. All feedback I receive will be treated with the utmost confidence and I will not supply any personal details with Essex Police.