New crime-mapping website www.police.uk reveals Colchester’s Greenstead estate has the highest level of reported crime in the borough.

But the statistics gloss over the hard work being done by residents, police, councillors and community groups.

BARRY Udale was chairman of Greenstead Residents’ Association for almost a decade, and now volunteers at the community centre.

He’s lived on the estate since 1984. He said: “Greenstead had a reputation years ago. It did have problems, there is no doubt about it, but we have worked hard over the past couple of decades to change things.

“When I first moved here, it definitely had an edge, but there just wasn’t the infrastructure to support such a massive estate.

“There was a pub which had a terrible reputation which is now the housing office, the old filling station has become a community centre, the whole estate has gone through a dramatic transformation and that is all pretty much down to the community who have worked hard to make it a better place to live.

“Before, there was just nothing for people to do, just alleyways for people to hide away in.

“The council had invested all this money into building council homes, but nothing else, and really it was built for problems.

“I think people have learnt from their mistakes and now architects try to build more welcoming, community-focused housing estates.”

Rebecca Johnson is a Colchester Borough Homes housing officer who deals with the most serious cases of antisocial behaviour. Her patch includes part of the Greenstead estate.

She says the high antisocial behaviour figures are partly down to a willingness to report incidents.

She said: “Obviously that is great for us, because it means we can deal with those problems.

“It means there are more reports of antisocial behaviour in the area, but it doesn’t mean the problem is worse.

“The statistics do not always show the full story for an area.

“I work really closely with the local councillors, who work really hard for the area, and we have very strong links with other organisations, such as the police, which helps us a lot.”

Barry Hersom, who was appointed headteacher of Colchester Academy last September, has been impressed with the community spirit.

He said: “They are proud of the estate and there is a real sense of belonging among the young people, who seem happy and secure in their community.

“There is a very clear sense that the community has worked together to improve the area over a long period of time “Walking around the estate, you see the library, the community centre and the meeting hall in Forest Road, places where people have got together and campaigned for these facilities and there are volunteers helping to run them and make sure they are well-used facilities.”

Phillip Hurley, of Almond Way, Greenstead, moved to the estate in 1998, and was a pupil of Sir Charles Lucas School, which is now the Colchester Academy, in the Seventies.

He said: “I do not think Greenstead deserves its reputation. I have lived in other areas of Colchester and prefer Greenstead to the other areas I lived.

“Since I moved here in 1998, I have always considered Greenstead a safe and nice place.

“I think the fact antisocial behaviour is dealt with more quickly now has made it even safer. Groups of youths are no longer allowed to hang around and drug addicts and drug dealers are removed from the estate.

“Greenstead is a very green estate with lots of grass areas with trees and shrubs and I think that makes it much nicer than some other estates.”