Essex County Council has begun deploying private security guards in town centres to watch for gatherings of male migrants, a move locals have branded a waste of money.
The Reform UK-led council is spending £150,000 on the initiative, which will see six operatives patrol parts of Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford for an initial three-month trial period starting today.
The council said the move came in what it describes as a "direct response to concerns raised amongst local residents, particularly women and girls, over gatherings of male migrants in town centres".
Locals question the cost
The decision to pay for the guards, who do not have powers to arrest people, has been criticised, with locals questioning whether the money would be better spent elsewhere.
Support worker Patricia Crowhurst, 78, who was in Braintree town centre on Monday, said: "I don't think there's any point in it. If they've got money to waste surely they could give it to the police that we've already got and we could have more security in the town if people are frightened."
Sheila Clark, 66, said she was not frightened of migrants, adding: "I haven't seen them in any trouble as such, they never seem to have caused any trouble and I'm in town a lot."
She said she was more concerned about drugs in the town, noting: "There's a lot of drug people just hanging round continuously. They don't seem to do nothing with them, police." But she described the security patrols as "a good thing for the town," adding: "I feel better because they're around if there's anything happens."
Patrols begin in Braintree
On Monday, two security workers in red-coloured stab vests walked as a pair around Braintree town centre, patrolling across a supermarket car park and through a pedestrian area near the town hall.
The tie-in with private security firm My Local Bobby was announced in August after the Government informed Braintree District Council that it plans to expand the use of nearby former RAF airbase Wethersfield, which houses asylum seekers, some of whom travel to surrounding areas by bus.
The Home Office said it would increase the site's capacity from 800 to 1,245, and it will remain operational beyond 2027.
Security firm responds
Andy Cullen, an area manager for My Local Bobby, which has supplied the security staff, said the two operatives in Braintree were wearing stab vests that were "pretty armoured".
Speaking in the town on Monday, he said operatives could perform a citizen's arrest if they saw a crime being committed, as anybody could, "and that's as far as it goes really".
"It's really about providing that safer, smiley community, that's what we want," he said. He said the firm had not been given instructions to focus on migrants, adding they were "looking at making sure that everybody is feeling secure in their own shopping centre and town centre and they can walk round feeling happy".
Town hall bosses said the security guards will be paid for by tapping into £150,000 from the Community Innovation and Improvement Fund reserve, with no additional cost to taxpayers.
Councillor Peter Harris, Leader of Essex County Council, said: "Operation Vanguard is a direct response to ensure how safe and secure our residents feel across the county. At Essex County Council, we prioritise being proactive over being reactive and that is exactly what we are doing with Operation Vanguard. We cannot and will not wait for an increase in antisocial behaviour and crime before acting. The safety of Essex residents is quite simply, not negotiable."
