Mile End Colchester residents raise concerns over man

Over the last week a man described as 6ft tall and dressed in tracksuits is said to have approached several residents at the underpass between Charter Woods and Axial Drive.

According to social media, the man has intimidated people by following them around the area, and residents are now calling for CCTV cameras to be installed in the vicinity to deter the behaviour.

A post which was published on the Essex Police Facebook page on Wednesday explained officers are patrolling the area in Mile End to allay residents’ fears.

Patrol - police have upped their presence at an underpass in Mile End after receiving complaints about an individual behaving in a way that was intimidating members of the public (Image: Essex Police)

It read: “Officers are continuing to patrol the Mile End area to provide visibility and reassurance to the people using the local area after concerns were raised to us from the community due to some posts online.

The post continued by directing residents to the Essex Police website, where members of the public can report their concerns.

“If you feel unsafe in any area of Colchester you can report this anonymously and explain the reasons why you feel unsafe through Street Safe: esxpol.uk/c2iHg.”

Martin Goss, the Liberal Democrat for Mile End ward, said the action which is being taken by police shows reporting incidents of intimidating or concerning behaviour is the best course of action.

He said: “The issue that has been raised is about a guy who has been seen in and around the underpass – some think the man might have mental health problems.

Action - councillor Martin Goss praised members of the public for taking their concerns to the police rather than posting about issues on social media (Image: Essex Police)

“The police has received a number of calls about it, they have looked into it, and nothing has been flagged other than they have done more patrols to respond to people’s concerns.

“It’s just some reports about some slightly concerning behaviour, though nobody has been attacked or hurt or abused or anything like that.

“I tell people that if they have got concerns, then report it – don’t just post about it on social media.

“People report it and the police respond – that is exactly what we tell people to do because we know it works.”