Police in South Ockendon and Aveley are stepping up patrols of local parks to keep them safe for everyone to enjoy over the summer break.
Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team are joining forces with Thurrock Council community protection officers and park wardens to patrol key parks in the area, as part of operation parks police.
Officers will deal with anyone causing damage to play equipment and park robustly to make sure those visiting are doing so without causing a nuisance to anyone else.
Pc Leigh Munden, neighbourhood constable for Aveley, said: “The parks in our area are a great community resource, and give children and adults alike plenty to do for free over the summer breaks.
“We have had some reports of criminal damage in the parks, and we will be patrolling the area to make sure the law-abiding members of our community can use the spaces without any nuisance from those wanting to cause trouble.
“A small minority have been spoiling it for the majority, and we will take a robust stance against anyone found committing crime or anti-social behaviour.”
The operation will cover Dilkes Park, Aveley Rec, Bonnygate Park and Ockendon Rec over the remaining weeks of the summer break, and will cover both afternoons and evenings.
The operation has already seen one arrest since it started on Monday, August 2. An 18–year-old man from Basildon was arrested for assault on police after police responded to a report of anti-social behaviour. He was taken in police custody and was given a police caution.
Things have been going bad since the hot spell in the last half term, incidents of balloon water bombing, crimnal damage to TBC aparatus and other equipment, the new play area which took almost twice as long to build due to wanton vandalism, cars and motorbikes driven across the park damaging the grass areas.
These incidents have been regularly reported and now the police have crimed recent incidents.
The NPT have not been patroling as advertised, at one park several users were in the park from 6pm to 8pm the time given for patrols, nobody showed up.
There are real concerns in the community that the group of 17-20 youths causing the mayhem, will get fed up with the childish pranks and somebody will be seriously injured, cars and motorbikes are not 13 / 14 year olds. One 999 call when a severe ballooning was taking place, led to a response of is anyone being injured, when answered no, the response, we cannot do nothing now, call us back if anyone gets hurt.
Only once have police dealt with a resident complaint by visiting the site, we have been promised Section 59 signs at the park entrances and the NPT putting in more patrols,
The lady PC above, makes comments that have been promised since early May, what is meant by robust, one call I made to her to report an incident was met with “I cannot hear you properly, I am out on the beat”, then the phone went dead.