Recently I have been talking to local police about their visibility on the High Street. Over the past few weeks I have had conversations with Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst, Chief Inspector Tina Cooper and Sergeant Lauren Sharland.
Brentwood Police based in the Town Hall Policing Hub has shown me how they are setting about regular patrols of our High Street and last week I joined one to discuss concerns constituents have raised with me about late licences and anti-social behaviour in Brentwood town centre. We also walked round to the William Hunter Way car park, where there have been reports of anti-social behaviour at night and I heard how it is being tackled firmly by the policing team.
The Local Policing Team is undertaking work to make women and girls feel safe in the area, including putting out questionnaires to find out where they feel safe or unsafe in the town, and what more can be done to make them feel at ease to come to the town centre.
The mental health of some young people in this area suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions and the town’s Young People’s Counselling Service – soon to join Renew Counselling and Training – provides an excellent service to support young people who are struggling. I visited them the other day to hear about the excellent work they do and was very impressed by the team and their work. If you feel you need some help, or know a young person who does, you can find details of the service here: https://www.ypcs.org.uk/index.php
