THE sergeant in charge of Thurrock's town centre policing team has assured residents the force will not give up on local communities and his officers are here to stay.

Despite the launch of policing teams dedicated to Grays, Stanford-le-Hope and South Ockendon last year, led by Sgt Ben Forbes, there has been much criticism of the lack of police profile and rising levels of anti-social behaviour, particularly in Grays.

However, Sgt Forbes says the battle goes on and cites an example of an arrest on Sunday which shows the teams are effective.

On Sunday a male was arrested by the Stanford team after officers identified he was wanted by another police force.

A statement from the Essex force says: "Post arrest, officers from your Stanford-le-Hope Town Centre Team positively identified this male as the person of interest in a recent video that circulated regarding isolated anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

"Following our previous announcement that a dedicated operation was initiated following concerns of Anti-Social Behaviour in Stanford-le-Hope Town Centre, your Town Centre officers issued this male with a Community Protection Warning (CPW).

"This CPW will remain live on the males record held by Essex Police and if further instances of anti-social behaviour occurs, further enforcement options become available under this legalisation.

Sgt Forbes added: ""We committed to listening and acting on your concerns and this is a clear example that we will not give up and will make sure all investigations are diligently investigated and progressed.

"I hope this result shows members of our communities, especially in Stanford-le-Hope that my team are here to stay and we are here to make a positive difference to our towns and communities."

Members of the public are urged to report all concerns or reports of anti-social behaviour to Essex Police via official channels of phone, online or email.