TOWNS in Thurrock will see seven more officers dedicated to policing town centres from today.

The officers will be able to conduct visible patrols and investigate concentrated community issues in Grays, South Ockendon and Stanford-le-Hope.

Three of the seven officers will be assigned to Grays, with a pair of officers covering South Ockendon and Stanford-le-Hope respectively.

All seven officers will be led by Sergeant Ben Forbes and will come under the banner of "Town Centre Teams" to support, and expand upon, the ongoing work of the district’s community policing team.

Priorities including crime against businesses and antisocial behaviour in town centres and protecting vulnerable people.

Chief Inspector Claire Talbot, district commander for Thurrock, said: “The new town centre teams are going to be a brilliant addition to the policing we can do across the district.

“By having more officers, we’ll be able to continue the good work of our community policing team, and be able to get to really understand any issues in these three communities. We want to make sure we hear from the people who see these towns as somewhere to live, work, or visit, so that we can work together to make Grays, South Ockendon and Stanford safer.

“Our seven officers have all come from a mixture of response and detective backgrounds, so have a great set of skills between them and a real knowledge of the areas they’ll be policing.

“I know they’re really excited to get out and be a reliable, visible presence and meeting the businesses, community leaders, organisations and residents that make Grays, South Ockendon and Stanford-le-Hope so unique.”

Leader of Thurrock Council, Rob Gledhill said: “We take tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in Thurrock extremely seriously and have already been working closely with our partners, including Essex Police, on a number of initiatives to help our residents feel safer.

“The arrival of these new officers in Grays, South Ockendon and Stanford-le-Hope town centres is something we really welcome, and will provide a visibly increased police presence on our streets and added reassurance for those living and working in Thurrock.

“In addition to these new officers, we have also committed to spending £1 million over the next three years to tackle antisocial behaviour and serious violence across the whole of the borough.”

Essex Police’s investment in more policing in town centres will place officers in 23 locations across the county.

As part of the force’s dedication to visible, frontline officers, the 58 constables will tackle the most prominent issues in communities, making for a safer county and stronger relationships with the public.

The teams' constables will be assigned to Braintree, Chelmsford, Clacton, Colchester, Harwich, Maldon, Saffron Walden, South Woodham Ferrers and Witham in the north of Essex.

In the south of the county, officers will be servicing Basildon, Billericay, Canvey, Rayleigh, Rochford, Southend and Wickford.

Finally, the teams in the west will be based in Brentwood, Grays, Harlow, Loughton, South Ockendon, Stanford-le-Hope and Waltham Abbey.