A SENIOR police officer has condemned a series of incidents involving a group of young people in Colchester city centre.

It comes as Essex Police has increased the number of high visibility patrols in the city centre.

The team of two sergeants and ten PCs have been out patrolling in both uniform and plain clothes as the investigation progresses, and these patrols are set to continue.

Inspector Stuart Austin of Colchester’s community policing team said his team has taken action to prevent a repeat of the anti-social behaviour and apprehend the perpetrators.

Gazette: Patrolling - Officers in Lion Walk, ColchesterPatrolling - Officers in Lion Walk, Colchester (Image: Essex Police)

He said: “The behaviour we’ve had reported to us and seen on social media is totally unacceptable. It’s a very small group who are responsible and we have identified them.

“We will be continuing with proactive, preventative high visibility patrols in the city centre. Colchester is a peaceful and safe place and nobody who lives, works or shops here should be subject to threatening behaviour or intimidation.

“Anti-social behaviour is a priority for us and we’re working together with our children and young persons officers and our partners at the council and in the local community to deal with the issues.”

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Insp Austin emphasised the importance of calling the police on 101 if people have experienced or seen anti-social behaviour.

He said: “If you are the victim of anti-social behaviour, or witness it, please report it to us immediately. What might seem like a small incident might be part of a larger pattern of offending. The more information we are given by the public, the better we can target our resources.”

Overall, the number of anti-social behaviour incidents has decreased significantly, with officers recording 3,244 fewer incidents in the year to April 2023 compared to the same period in 2017.

Insp Austin also appealed to parents to make sure they know where their children are.

He said: “If you have children who are spending hours away from home, do you know where they are going and who they’re with?

“Anti-social behaviour and associated criminal activity has a significant detrimental impact on the local community and we’re committed to doing all we can to combat it.”