Reform-led Essex council defends private patrols near Wethersfield site
Essex County Council's Reform leader justifies £150,000 patrols in three towns, while police say crime linked to the asylum centre is very low.
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Essex County Council has started using private security patrols in three town centres near a former RAF base that houses asylum seekers, a move its leader says is needed to reassure residents about intimidation and crime. The patrols in Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford cost £150,000 and operate at times when minibuses bring men from the Wethersfield accommodation centre into town.
Council leader Peter Harris, from Reform UK, said the men are largely unvetted and that he had received hundreds of complaints from women. He pointed to a serious sexual assault on a nurse and said his security teams had already intervened in an incident on their first day. "How many sexual assaults is enough then?" he asked.
But Essex Police Chief Constable Rachel Nolan said criminality associated with the site is "very low" and that there was no reason for anyone to be concerned. The six security guards have no enforcement powers and act purely as a reassuring presence, with the council describing them as "eyes and ears" for the police.
The scheme has drawn criticism from those who argue it is a waste of money and that policing should be left to the police. Others have gone further, suggesting asylum seekers should be housed in secure camps. The council says it is a preventive measure and that it fully supports the police.
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Key Claims
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Channel Perspectives
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GB News framed the patrols as a necessary response to the perceived threat from asylum seekers, featuring emotional testimonies from residents and panellists who argued for stronger measures such as detention camps. It downplayed police assurances and focused on fear and intimidation on the streets.
- “It's overwhelming.”
- “You can see exactly where they're going, what they're doing.”
- “We need to create a genuinely hostile environment.”
BBC Two's Politics Live provided a more balanced platform, interviewing council leader Peter Harris and confronting him with police statistics. It also included a panel discussion that questioned the effectiveness and cost of the scheme, noting the guards have no powers.
- “How many sexual assaults is enough then?”
- “crimes and incidents associated with the Wethersfield site are very low”
Broadcast Timeline
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