Vanguard patrols respond to 172 incidents

Private security teams hired by Essex County Council to patrol town centres have responded to 172 incidents in the first month of Operation Vanguard.

The Reform-led council launched the patrols "in response to concerns, particularly among women and girls, about groups of male migrants being bussed from the Wethersfield asylum accommodation".

However, the data does not show if the incidents involved asylum seekers or not - something Pam Cox, Labour MP for Colchester said was "deeply concerning".

The council said officers would not know this information unless it was "self-declared or self-evident from the circumstances".

Cox said: "It is deeply concerning that the council has not even gathered information on whether any incidents have involved asylum seekers, despite this being central to the justification of the scheme."

Operation Vanguard involves six trained and uniformed "security operatives" patrolling Chelmsford, Colchester and Braintree city centres seven days a week, from 10:00 to 18:00, as part of a three-month trial.

It is expected to cost almost £120,000.

Figures provided by Essex County Council for the first month state the patrols dealt with:

• 106 "significant incidents" including vandalism and fights
• 33 anti-social behaviour incidents
• 21 retail thefts
• 12 safeguarding/welfare incidents

The patrols had 20 interactions with the police, which could include passing on details or referring cases to them. There were three arrests for retail theft according to the council, which involved the Vanguard officers making a citizens arrest and passing the individual onto the police.

Peter Harris, leader of the council, said: "There is no doubt in my mind that Operation Vanguard is already a success.

"The value it is adding in helping deal with crime, anti-social behaviour and providing a reassuring presence is now there for all to see."

However, Cox has called on the council to provide "appropriate evidence", adding: "There are also serious questions that remain unanswered about the role of private security guards who have no statutory enforcement powers."

Nigel Farage MP told the BBC: "What Vanguard are doing is a fantastic job on our behalf and I want to see this rolled out much more widely."

A decision on whether the security patrol trial becomes permanent will be made at a later date.

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