For the fourth year, Operation Christmas Presence has been launched, which will see extra Essex Police officers working with the Lakeside Shopping Centre security team to ensure that criminals do not visit the area during the busy shopping period….
The Essex Police mounted unit and the motorcycle unit will join the Lakeside policing team on patrols at key times of the day to deter anyone visiting the area intent on committing crime.
Thurrock district commander, Chief Insp Richard Baxter, said: โรรบLakeside is, and always has been, a very safe and welcoming environment for people to shop and enjoy everything else it has to offer. Our job is to ensure it stays that way, so we are once again working with their security teams to ensure criminals get the message that they shouldnโรรดt bother coming here, as we will catch them and deal with them robustly.
โรรบWith the vast amount of visitors that come here, it is also a prime opportunity for us to educate people on ways to keep themselves and their property safe at this time of year.โรรน
Officers will be handing out personal safety advice, and will be patrolling Lakesideโรรดs 13,000 free parking spaces to ensure people are leaving their vehicles secure. If officers find a vehicle insecure, they will contact the car owner and advise them on ways they can help prevent their car being targeted by opportunist thieves.
Paul Lancaster, General Manager at Lakeside Shopping Centre, said: โรรบWith longer opening hours than ever before, Lakeside is the perfect place to shop this Christmas as people can visit at a time thatโรรดs most convenient for them. Combining the Lakeside policing team, our security staff and the additional mounted and motorcycle units from Essex Police ensures this Christmas should be another happy and safe one at Lakeside.โรรน
With one of the countryโรรดs busiest road networks near Lakeside, officers will also be using Automated Number Plate Recoginition (ANPR) cameras to intercept travelling criminals before they have a chance to stop in the area.
Essex Police officers will also be working closely with the British Transport Police to ensure that criminals do not use the rail networks to come to Thurrock to commit crime, and will be carrying out stop check operations at Chafford Hundred over the coming weeks.
