Private security guards carried out their first patrol in Essex today after male migrants have left women scared to go out alone.
The Reform-led county council has hired contractors to monitor migrants on the streets of Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford – with the first walkabouts starting this morning.
Locals in Colchester say that on days when asylum seekers are brought into the city from MDP Wethersfield – a former RAF base in the Essex countryside – the atmosphere can feel very different.
Women are reportedly being told to ‘cover up’, girls are allegedly being filmed on mobile phones and groups of young men have been accused of staring, making comments and intimidating locals.
Reform said the patrols – named Operation Vanguard – came as a ‘direct response to concerns raised amongst local residents, particularly women and girls, over gatherings of male migrants in town centres’.
Within just moments of their shift starting, officers in Chelmsford were already dealing with their first incident in the city centre.
Two operatives were called by concerned members of the public who had seen a group of four masked youths enter Poundland, believing them to be migrants.
The team entered the store, asked them to leave and watched as they moved on. They also spoke to numerous locals about their roles.
Some residents in Colchester claimed that the arrival of the migrants has made some women and families avoid the city centre altogether.
Elena Sokolova, 38, told the Daily Mail: ‘The problem is, they don’t integrate in society. I am a migrant and I integrated into the British way of life.
‘The men make comments about women, they say they should be dressed more and cover up. They film the girls in the town. It’s terrible. It’s really worrying.
‘Their attitude is totally different. More efforts need to be made to get them to integrate into the British way of life. That’s what I had to do. But they have their own culture.’
Two private security guards speak to a local in Braintree, Essex, after the Reform-led county council launched patrols aimed at monitoring migrants
Two more security guards were seen on the streets of Chelmsford and contractors will also be conducting walkabouts in Colchester
Private security guards chat to locals in Braintree yesterday
For Sophie Edmonds, 33, the problem is personal.
The shop worker says she has experienced ‘big issues’ with male migrants and now avoids walking around Colchester alone.
She added: ‘Me and my friends have had comments and looks. They make noises. I hate it. We don’t walk around here on our own. It’s too worrying.
‘They stare in groups. It’s really intimidating. I’ve lived here all my life. I never had a bad experience in Colchester until the migrants moved into the camp.
‘I feel so passionately about it because you shouldn’t feel unsafe in your own town. You should be fine to walk out in the day and go to work without fear of something bad happening. Nobody listens to us though.’
Ms Edmonds believes the impact extends beyond young women.
She added: ‘I think everyone is impacted. The town is nowhere near as busy as it used to be. You’d rather shop in a town where you’re not going to feel scared to walk through. That makes sense if people are being menaced.
‘It feels like a no-go area.’
Locals in Chelmsford said they were ‘relieved’ and ‘overjoyed’ at the scheme.
John Howes, who lives nearby, said his wife and daughter are now too scared to enter the city.
The 66-year-old said: ‘My wife and daughter came on Saturday night into Chelmsford and they won’t be coming back.
‘I think this is a really good idea. People are terrified. I know a woman who has been followed across the town by a migrant. Some are really scared.
‘The vibe of Chelmsford has changed totally since the migrants moved into that former RAF base. They hang around in big groups, it’s very disturbing.
‘People are too afraid to walk the streets alone. How did it come to this? It’s appalling. I am relieved at these new patrols in action.’
Mr Howes said he felt ‘reassured’ by the new security patrols, adding: ‘It’s a very good feeling. We need to get our area back.’
Lee Summers, 45, has lived in Chelmsford all his life and said lack of police on the streets had made the situation worse.
He added: ‘You don’t see police around here. Yet there’s been numerous reports for months and months now. I know women who come out in groups. They won’t come in here alone.
‘It’s a good idea to have these extra patrols. But how did it come to this? Where have the police been? That’s the shocking reality of it all. I feel safer for my family to know they’ll be extra boots on the ground.
‘But I’d like to see them out of that centre once and for all. I’m just overjoyed we have a council that’s finally seeing the problem and taking action.’
Lea Sessions, 59, said she was aware of reports of migrants following women in the town.
She added: ‘I feel so intimidated here. I have had someone follow me. I know migrants have followed women and girls as well. We’re all so worried.
‘I think we’re right to be worried. I’ve been saying we need some private security on the streets. It’s a really worrying situation.’
The patrols are from the company My Local Bobby, owned by former Metropolitan Police detective chief inspector David Mckelvey.
Two operatives were called by concerned members of the public who had seen a group of four masked youths enter Poundland in Chelmsford, and believed they were migrants
Guards spoke to members of the public in Chelmsford this afternoon
Security officers walk through Braintree town centre, where concerns were raised over ‘gatherings of male migrants’
Officers chat to a member of the public as Operation Vanguard got underway in Braintree today
In Chelmsford, the guards were on hand to answer questions from locals
Guards deployed by Essex County Council patrol in Braintree town centre today
The guards were busy helping locals in the centre of Chelmsford
Reform UK-run Essex County Council has hired new security guards to ward of ‘gatherings of male migrants’ in town centres after reports of intimidation, like here in Braintree
Mr Mckelvey said he was pleased with the partnership, adding: ‘This is about making people safer and making people feel safer.
‘The patrols provide reassurance. We have teams up and down the country and this is the latest patrol we have.’
Essex County Council leader Peter Harris says the council is particularly concerned about women and girls.
He says the Home Office now operates 17 minibuses taking residents of Wethersfield into the three towns and cities on a daily basis.
Colchester City Council has welcomed the additional resources, while stressing that the transport arrangements are a Home Office decision rather than something requested by the city.
‘The transport of residents from the Wethersfield site into Colchester is a Home Office arrangement and not something requested by the City Council,’ said council leader Paul Dundas.
The Home Office now operates 17 minibuses taking residents of Wethersfield into the three towns and cities on a daily basis
Colchester City Council has welcomed the additional resources, while stressing that the transport arrangements are a Home Office decision rather than something requested by the city
The asylum accommodation lies around 15 miles away at the former RAF Wethersfield airfield
The Government has been accused of shifting the consequences of its asylum policy onto Essex communities such as in Colchester
Colchester shop worker Rebar Puladi, 24, believes more police are needed
RAF Wethersfield began accommodating asylum seekers in July 2023 and is operated by Clearsprings Ready Homes on behalf of the Home Office.
It provides accommodation for single adult men aged between 18 and 65 while their asylum claims are processed.
The Government says the site is intended to be as self-sufficient as possible, with communal facilities, healthcare and recreational areas.
Security staff are also present around the clock and residents undergo checks against immigration, security and criminality databases.
But the site’s remote location means transport is provided into nearby communities where more services are available.
This has created an unusual situation in Colchester, where groups of men from the same accommodation centre can arrive together in minibuses before spending time in the city.
Mary Sage, 70, has lived in Colchester for 30 years and believes those coming to Britain need to integrate more.
She said: ‘I think, regardless of who you are, if you’ve not lived in an area for three years then you should not get a house yet.
‘My feeling about all of this is, when will all of this stop?
‘For the migrants, what are they going to do? Dropping them off in a town means they’ll just be hanging around here in big groups. What are they going to be doing all day?
‘If you believe some people, we will soon have a doctor for every person in Colchester with the amount of migrants coming here.’
Shop worker Rebar Puladi, 24, believes more police are needed.
He said: ‘We don’t see police very often. It’s a real problem. The town is not as busy as it used to be. People, I think, have been put off from visiting.’
Alec Hillyard, 85, who has lived in Colchester all his life, also believes footfall has declined.
He said: ‘I am all for immigration, as long as when they come over here they can go to work. They should be learning skills. The town is more empty than it used to be.
‘And there’s plenty of things the taxpayer money should be spent on. We have terrible potholes for a start.’
Their concerns come as the Government prepares to increase the size of Wethersfield.
In June, the Home Office told Braintree District Council that the site’s standard operational capacity would rise from 800 to 1,245 – an increase of more than 50 per cent – and that it wants the centre to continue operating beyond 2027.
Mr Harris has accused the Government of shifting the consequences of its asylum policy onto Essex communities, arguing that while hotels are being closed, asylum seekers are instead being concentrated at sites such as Wethersfield and transported into neighbouring towns.
Braintree District Council has also criticised the decision, saying the rural site lacks the infrastructure to accommodate such numbers.
The Home Office insists that the purpose of Wethersfield is to provide managed accommodation and help end the use of expensive asylum hotels.
It also says transport into local communities is provided where necessary to access services that are not available on site.
It also added that public safety is a priority and that the Wethersfield site has 24-hour security, CCTV and ongoing engagement with Essex Police and local authorities.
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