Police 'badly let down' town, council leader says

The leader of an Essex council has criticised police bosses by claiming there is a lack of officers tackling anti-social behaviour.

Gavin Callaghan of Basildon Council said the town had been "been badly let down by the senior staff of Essex Police for a number of years".

The Labour-led authority has hired community safety wardens to patrol the town centre for 12 hours a day.

District commander Paul Hogben disagreed with Callaghan's claims, saying many retailers believed officers had made "some great inroads with policing".

Wardens have been operating in Basildon since 2022, at an annual cost of £250,000.

The local authority extended a public space protection order in 2025, giving officers the powers to clamp down on alcohol, drug abuse and urination on the streets, as well as car cruising.

"When it comes to community safety, I don't think anybody at Basildon Council can have any trust or confidence in Essex Police to do the job properly, which is why we are having to intervene," Callaghan said.

The wardens can issue £100 fines to adults for anti-social behaviour - and 30 have been issued since June.

Essex Police said it had clamped down on the illegal use of e-scooters and adapted electric bikes, seizing them from users.

Ch Insp Hogben argued the wardens were "not a replacement for policing" and hit back at the council, arguing it too had a responsibility to deal with anti-social behaviour.

"If you speak to a lot of the retailers in Basildon, they would agree with me that we have made some great in roads with policing," he said.

Derek Atakora, a barber in Basildon, claimed there were already enough officers, saying: "The kids ain't running around like they used to.

Walking through the town centre, Emmanuel Lampety added: "I don't see any problem with anti-social behaviour."

But corner shop worker Micky Singh told patrolling officers, who were joined by the BBC, that: "The kids come in a gang and when they see a guy is alone they try to mess around and steal some alcohol."

And Molly Manser, who was pushing a young child in a pram, said "there is a lot" of anti-social behaviour still in Basildon.

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