Essex Police says crime and anti-social behaviour has continued to fall across Tendring despite coastal areas in the region seeing their populations double during summer.

Crime has fallen, with 1,893 fewer offences in the 12 months to June 2024 than there were the previous year – a decrease of almost 13.5 per cent.

Anti-social behaviour have fallen by almost 70 per cent in the Tendring district in the past five years. 

This means there were 2,608 fewer offences in the year to June 2024 than the previous year.

Essex Police said joint working with Tendring Council community safety officers and Tendring Community Safety Partnership has played a large part in the fall.

The force also said the fall was despite coastal areas such Clacton, Jaywick, Frinton, and Walton seeing their populations double in the summer. 

Insp Aaron Homatopoulos, of Tendring Community Policing Team, said an influx of visitors doesn’t automatically mean a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour.

He said: “Reports of crime and anti-social behaviour have reduced dramatically across Tendring during the past five years but there are perceptions that anti-social behaviour, in particular, is still high”.

“We understand the worries of residents when they see so many extra people arriving, but often their assumptions, that a group of people may be up to no good for example, are wrong. 

“Likewise, rowdy groups may not realise their behaviour can appear threatening and intimidating to people who don’t know them.

“Our officers will speak to such groups to make them aware of the effect they can have on more vulnerable people.”

Over the past five years, robberies have dropped by 44.6 per cent, burglaries by 33.8 per cent and thefts of and from vehicles by 49.8 per cent due to targeted operational policing.

In Clacton town centre and along the seafront, a public spaces protection order (PSPO) has helped police officers and council staff to tackle anti-social behaviour, such as street drinking and begging.

The force says community policing and town centre teams have also been conducting high-visibility uniformed patrols and plain clothes deployments in Clacton town centre and the surrounding areas, including Harwich.