Force promises visible policing after reshuffle

A police chief said reshuffling his officers would help them tackle drug dealers and shoplifters.

Essex Police reprioritised 74 officers into dedicated neighbourhood teams across the county on Wednesday.

The decision came in response to a government pledge of having more visible policing.

Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: "They can help solve problems, they understand the issues and they're reducing crime."

Launching the reshuffle in Basildon, Mr Harrington vowed: "I know they will make a real difference."

Neighbourhood officers, of which Essex already has more than 3,300, are tasked with reducing criminal anti-social behaviour, enforcing orders and targeting repeat offenders.

They also work with councils and investigate robberies, drug dealing, sexual offences, shoplifting and vehicle crime.

Mr Harrington said: "They will tackle the issues that communities need them to tackle.

"Sometimes that'll be in full glaring view of the public, sometimes that'll be watching out of the corner of their eye to catch someone who doesn't want to be caught."

But the senior officer, who assumed the post in 2018, wanted assurances from the government that his force would be "fairly funded" to keep police on the beat.

His force almost axed all 99 of its community support officers in January, before reversing that decision when it received £2.3m funding from the government.

However, it did have to cut about 65 staff roles.

Mr Harrington echoed his long-held complaint that Essex Police needed more money, revealing it faced an estimated £20m budget gap next year.

"With that money we can do more, it will make a difference," he said.

"Without it, I'm faced with difficult challenges."

A Home Office spokesman previously said the force's funding for 2025-26 was £431.1m, which was £24.9m more than in 2024-25.

They added: "We are ensuring we deliver on our safer streets mission, with an extra 13,000 neighbourhood police officers, community support officers and special constables, all of whom will play a vital role in bringing visible policing to our streets."

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