Colchester's North Station Road 'priority area' for council

Colchester Council’s head of public protection Andrew Tyrrell made the commitment at the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner’s meeting in West Mersea on Monday night.

He added council leader David King will meet with Castle ward councillors Mark Goacher, Richard Kirby-Taylor, and Kemal Cufoglu to discuss the next steps to reduce crime in the area and prevent offending at source.

Cosmopolitan – North Station Road is busy and diverse but it is a crime hotspot in the city (Image: Newsquest) A string of incidents last year including robbery, shoplifting, and assault led one former councillor to brand the area “lawless”.

Serious crimes have also taken place very close by in the last week, including robberies in Rotary Way and Middleborough which are being investigated by the police.

Mr Tyrrell said he could not share specifics on what is being planned in the coming months but he referenced the council’s response to antisocial behaviour in St Mary’s car park and scheduled car meets across the city as precedent for tackling the area’s current problems.

He said: “There are a number of issues there – antisocial behaviour, potential business crimes, potential drugs.

“We have got a set of plans which will happen in 2025 – we will be in a position to release what we have done after they have happened.

“It really will be a multi-agency approach that will look at a host of issues we know exist in that area, from residential standards to some of the businesses.”

Mr Cufoglu, who was elected as a Castle ward councillor earlier this year, said the number of emergency accommodation hotels in North Station Road meant there is a wider concern among residents about living conditions and anti-social behaviour.

He said: “There is an extreme concentration of vulnerable people and it is creating antisocial behaviour in the area.

Concerned – Kemal Cufoglu said the concentration of temporary accommodation in the area had contributed to anti-social behaviour (Image: Steve Brading)

“I have said it would be good to address the social issues happening around this hotspot and it will be good to have those types of accommodations spread across the city.

“Residents are observing more and more instances when they find people sleeping in the front of their houses and front gardens – it is creating safety and security concerns for residents, but they are also concerned about the wellbeing of people living around these areas as well.

“We need to ask a lot of questions about the conditions these people are living in too.”