THURROCK Council's leader, Cllr Andrew Jefferies, says an increased police presence on the borough's streets has helped reduce antisocial behaviour by almost a third.

Speaking at this week's meeting of the authority's cabinet,  and in the wake of a meeting with local police commanders, Cllr Jefferies said all crime has been reduced by 3.2 per cent over the last 12 months.

His words were a follow up on an upbeat message in a council briefing in September by divisional commander Chief Inspector Tony Atkin.

Cllr Jefferies added that hate crime is down by 2.2 per cent and antisocial behaviour is down by an "incredible 30 per cent" and that since 2018 reported antisocial behaviour has been reduced by 63 per cent in Thurrock.

He singled out a couple of police projects, saying 'Operation Caesar' launched to rid the borough of nuisance bikes has seen a 55 per cent decrease in the number of calls to police and: "Something everyone should welcome is 'Operation Stronghold' which was a policy initiated by Essex Police to increase the visibility of police in the borough of Thurrock.

"In Corringham, Ockendon, Grays and Lakeside there was an additional 100 hours of police officer time which I think probably contributed to the reduction.

"And to reassure people and to give them some feeling of safety when out shopping this Christmas period there's additional patrols going to be in and around the Lakeside area."

Cllr Jefferies continued: "The public perception of the amount of crime that's going on is sometimes quite different to what is actually happening. However, I am aware that to anyone who has been a victim of crime these figures are of no comfort because they've been they've been victim of a crime.

The leader also highlighted the impact of 'Operation Caeser saying bikers had been using the borough's green spaces and illegally accessing private land to ride their bikes, turning formerly peaceful areas into racetracks and subjecting local residents to the drone of excessive engine noise.

He told cabinet that the scheme was launched in 2021 and last year Thurrock police formed a quad bike team to 'level the playing field in the fight against nuisance bikers'. The team issued 35 section 59 orders in 2022, more than double than 2021.