A CONCERNED resident is calling for a new police station in Halstead to help the fight against crime.

The town’s police station closed in March 2016 and was later turned into housing.

It came after Essex Police and the police and crime commissioner confirmed plans to close 15 police station front counters as the force developed a “modern fit for purpose police estate to meet the challenges of keeping the county safe”.

Now, Gemma Artus, from Halstead, is campaigning to bring back a station for the town.

She has only lived in the town for two years, but says she has heard about some concerning events.

She said: “One lady said that some lads threw a plant pot through her window and there was the recent killing of a duckling at the pond that the police are now looking into.

“Some really feel the crime and anti-social behaviour has gone up since the old station closed.

“Halstead is a lovely town, but I just feel that it might keep getting worse.”

Gemma launched a petition on the Government’s website but it was rejected because the Government and Parliament are not directly responsible for police stations.

She added: “I saw that it was rejected, which is a shame, but I will write to Essex Police as I have been told this is who can decide and hopefully they will consider it.

“I will also be attending a town council meeting in May to talk about it, as it is really important to keep spreading the message.”

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Essex Police insists Halstead is a safe place to live and work.

A spokesman said: “We have dedicated teams which work across the town to patrol our streets as well as disrupt, prevent and detect crime.

“We believe it is police officers who keep communities safe and catch criminals – not police buildings.

“Indeed incidents of antisocial behaviour have dropped by 50 per cent across the Braintree district – of which Halstead is a part – in the last 12 months.

“We also have specialist teams in place to disrupt and tackle drug supply across the district.

“Our North Op Raptor and Disruptor teams work around the clock to gather intelligence and evidence so that when we carry out strikes against these gangs, many of those arrested have no option but to admit the charges levelled against them because of the overwhelming evidence we can present.

“And we’re putting huge efforts into tackling serious and violent crime, including knife crime.

“This work includes ‘hotspot’ policing, intelligence gathering, using knife arches, and utilising additional powers such as dispersal orders and Section 60 powers, which are an extension of the stop-and-search activity which takes place every day.”