THURROCK Council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill has hailed the authority's attempts to improve community safety in Grays town centre as a success – saying resources the council has pumped into local enforcement have paid a visible dividend.

The 'Safer Streets' initiative began in August and was reported on Thurrock Nub News.

After the few weeks of the project the council says its community engagement officers have hit the ground running - playing a key role in the arrest of a drug dealer and the jailing of a prolific shoplifter.

And it says increased enforcement in the town centre as a result of the scheme, has also seen 28 fixed penalty notices issued in connection with littering, fly-posting and the public space protection order for street drinking offences.

Additional officers, attached to the council's environmental enforcement team, began patrolling Grays on 19 August after the Council received £625,000 in funding from the government to boost CCTV, lighting and security on the High Street.

Cllr Gledhill, who is also the portfolio holder for public protection, says: "The additional resources we have been able to deploy in Grays are having real results – tackling crimes we know residents and local businesses are extremely concerned about.

"In just the first few weeks our officers have sent a strong warning to criminals: our focus means you will be spotted, you will be traced and you will be arrested.

"As well as delivering highly visible patrols preventing anti-social and criminal activity the team act as the eyes and ears of the police passing on valuable intelligence to make sure wrong-doers are caught and arrested.

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"The scheme is already seeing results and will play a key role in making Grays safer and boosting its night-time economy as significant investment takes place thanks to nearly £20 million from the government's Towns Fund and tens of millions more being invested by businesses.

"We know there are still problems to overcome in Grays but these additional officers, working in close partnership with Essex police, will start to make an impact on the anti-social behaviour experienced by shoppers and shop owners alike."

The council says Thurrock engagement officers helped police find, trace and secure evidence against a prolific shoplifter, leading to him being sentenced to six weeks in prison. They also spotted a possible drug deal between two men and engaged them until police arrived to arrest both.

Making a difference

• Safer Streets funding is to be used to provide better lighting in Grays, update and improve CCTV equipment, create a 'shop safe' communication system for shops and is also funding two dedicated Grays Town community engagement officers.
• The Community Engagement Officers will be holding monthly community engagement sessions on the High Street between 10am and 2pm on the third Friday of each month to hear of any concerns residents or businesses might have.