Deputy PFCC outlines community safety successes to parish councillors

Jane Gardner, Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, yesterday visited a meeting of Writtle Parish Council to outline community safety successes and areas of focus.

In a presentation hosted at the start of the meeting, held in the Writtle Parish Council Office on The Green, Writtle, Jane outlined the key responsibilities of the PFCC Essex.

• Setting the strategic direction for Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

• Holding both services to account on behalf of the public.

• Allocating funding to initiatives that prevent crime, protect communities, and support victims.

• Engaging with residents to understand their concerns and priorities.

The Deputy PFCC was able to tell Writtle Parish Council how Essex Police has grown by 905 officers since 2016, making the force the biggest and strongest it has ever been.

Since 2016 there have been significant reductions in crime across Essex, with incidents of anti-social behaviour down by two-thirds, burglary more than halved and homicide more than halved.

Now, following the launch of new Neighbourhood Policing Teams earlier this year, there will be even more officers on patrol in communities, with 74 more officers joining Neighbourhood teams.

Jane Gardner also outlined how Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has a greater focus on prevention of fires, with 1,186 home safety visits taking place in the 12 months to July 2025.

Future areas of focus for the PFCC include reducing road deaths in Essex and a greater focus on rape and sexual assault cases.

The ongoing PFCC Essex engagement strategy plans in visits Parish Councils throughout the year and the PFCC also hosts a public meeting once a year in each of the 14 districts of Essex, allowing residents to raise community safety matters directly with the PFCC and a panel of senior Essex Police officers, senior managers from ECFRS and Community Safety Partners.