In Essex, Conservative-led Braintree District Council has taken issue with contract security patrols in Braintree town centre under Operation Vanguard. In an open letter in August, Braintree council leader Tom Cunningham described himself as ‘surprised’ by the operation by Reform-led Essex County Council. He has complained further that the operation was ‘developed too quickly, without any consultation with the organisations already responsible for community safety locally’.
At issue is the use of the former military airfield at Wethersfield outside Braintree as an asylum accommodation centre since 2023, run for the Home Office; which Braintree councillors describe as ‘unsuitable’, and that ‘should not have been imposed’ on the district. Also at issue are ‘trips’ by minibus by those held at Wethersfield into the nearby towns of Braintree and Colchester and the county town, Chelmsford.
Hence the county council’s Operation Vanguard described by Leader of Essex County Council Peter Harris as a three-month pilot, from September 14. He said: “It is designed to provide an immediate, visible and preventative security presence while reassuring residents. Its personnel will not have police powers, will not replace Essex Police and will not target people merely because of their nationality or immigration status. They will observe, deter, assist members of the public and report suspicious, threatening or criminal behaviour to the police.”
About patrols
As set out in mid-September, six uniformed operatives – two in each area – will patrol seven days a week between about 10am and 6pm including says Reform where anti-social behaviour has previously been reported. The ยฃ150,000 for the contract security comes from the county’s Community Innovation and Improvement Fund reserve. The contract was directly awarded My Local Bobby, who provide similar on-street patrollers, generally for business improvement districts, notably in London (pictured), and increasingly beyond, such as Ipswich, Milton Keynes and (as featured in the June 2026 edition of Professional Security Magazine) Nottingham city centre.
PFCC
Meanwhile, the Conservative Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Roger Hirst has announced Braintree town centre as one of places getting ยฃ200,000 to go on extra high-visibility police and community safety patrols, youth outreach and targeted action in eight anti-social behaviour (ASB) hotspots in the county.
Nights
And from September 25, the CSAS (Community Safety Accreditation Scheme) and SIA (Security Industry Authority) badged marshals from the contractor Regency Security are working in Chelmsford city centre on Friday, and Saturday, nights, Chelmsford City Council announced. Chelmsford was identified by the Home Office as one of 230 areas most affected by knife crime in England and Wales. As a result, Chelmsford City Council and Essex Police were invited to apply for funding from the Home Office’s Knife Crime Concentration Fund.ย ย Chelmsford City Council and the cityโs Business Improvement District, Chelmsford For You, have been funding Saturday night patrols by the CSAS-accredited marshals since January 2026, after a six-month pilot funded by the Essex PFCC.
Natacha Dudley, Chelmsford council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said:ย โChelmsford has a busy nighttime economy and our 13 consecutive years of Purple Flag status, along with our ground-breaking Womenโs Safety Charter, show that we take the safety of those enjoying the cityโs nightlife very seriously.
โWe have seen a 35.9 per cent reduction in violent crime compared to last year and the Knife Crime Concentration Fund will allow us to expand on the great work weโre already doing. Chelmsford City Council and Essex Police have designed an impactful, holistic, and sustainable programme of preventative interventions, based on our collective understanding of our city, and I am looking forward to seeing its impact over the coming months and beyond.โย
