Coggeshall anger at lack of policing

In a letter sent to Home Secretary, Jack Straw, county council chief executive, Stewart Ashurst and Essex Chief Constable, David Stevens, the council claims the current state of rural policing needs a "radical rethink".

They say: "There has been less visible rural policing in Coggeshall in the last eight months than for several years."

The council says action needs to be taken particularly as the police officer assigned to the village in July has "more or less disappeared".

The letter goes on: "Possibly, to you, our complaints about continual vandalism caused by drunken youths and speeding and parking offences, are all minor.

"However all residents of Coggeshall pay their share of council tax towards the Essex Police Authority and the majority want to see more effective evidence of regular local policing."

Clerk of the parish council, David Warren, added that ever since the police station in the village closed, the complaints have been pouring in from residents.

"We now come under Feering station. The call-out time is about one hour and 40 minutes, and even this station is not open all the time.

"Our main problem in Coggeshall is vandalism, particularly in the church yard. We have a lot of elderly people and this is a problem for them."

Mr Warren claimed the village never sees any kind of policing, and said they were not the only parish with a problem.

"The next step for us will be to have a meeting with other parish councils, as they also have this problem. This is a major problem which needs to be solved," he added.

Supt Peter Sheldrake of Braintree Police said the two officers from Coggeshall had been on long term sick leave, but were due to be replaced after Christmas.

"We still believe there is good quality policing in Coggeshall and we believe we have enhanced policing in the village," he said.

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