Recently I joined a big police operation in Chelmsford focusing on keeping people safe in the night time economy. There was a very significant police presence.
Through the night, until the early hours of the morning, police deployed the mobile metal detector in different locations. This would have picked up anyone with a knife or any other weapon.
Chelmsford has recently been re-awarded a “purple flag” for safety in the night time economy, we want to keep it safe.
Thank you to everyone who took time to stop and chat about what the police were doing.
Many people, especially women and girls, told me how pleased they were to see the enhanced focus on safety and how reassured they were to see the knife arch.
I also spoke with door staff at many of the bars and clubs, they do a great job in keeping people safe and were also very grateful to the police.
Operations like this are funded by the government’s GRIP programme of high visibility, hotspot policing which has been found to reduce the risk of serious violence.
March's “Night of Action” in Chelmsford mirrors similar operations that Essex Police have carried out in other Essex locations.
In Chelmsford, thanks to the GRIP programme, there is an enhanced police presence around the city centre's pubs, clubs and bars on every busy Friday and Saturday night and regular patrols of the station areas.
