RECENT figures have revealed that Southend has the greatest share of violent and sexual crime in Essex, and such crimes have increased by 18 per cent across the county.

The data shows that 5,360 violent or sexual crimes took place in Southend between September 2016 and September 2017 – a 14 per cent increase on the previous year.

The figure makes up 13 per cent of the 41,080 crimes of this nature that took place in the county and is the greatest share out of all the policing districts in Essex.

The data, which was compiled by housing company Good Move, showed Colchester experienced the second highest figure at 5,228 which works out at 12.7 per cent while Basildon came in third highest at 4,865 or 11.9 per cent.

The county has seen an 18 per cent increase in violent and sexual crime overall, something which some members of the community feel shows the increased demand on the force.

Southend councillor for Thorpe Ward Martin Terry said: “I think our police do a fantastic job and I would always defend Essex Police to anybody because the officers work so hard.

“But these figures show the increasing demand they are facing.

“I recognised that Southend has had these problems years ago and that they needed to be addressed.

“It’s comparable to a borough in London so we need the level of policing to reflect that otherwise it will only get worse.

“The Met are doing great work cracking down on gang and drug culture in London so they just hop on a train and come to Southend.

“The answer is to employ more police to tackle it. I will do all we can to defend community safety.”

Residents have expressed fears that an increase in violent crime could mean focus on community issues may decrease.

Trevor Harp, 61, of North Avenue, said: “I’ve lived here all my life and there has definitely been an increase in violent crimes recently, especially around Southend East railway station.

“It also seems there’s been more London gangs operating across county lines in Southend as well which is very concerning for the Southend community.

“We frequently visit restaurants and pubs in Southchurch Road but now we take extra precautions.

“If it continues to increase, their resources are going to be stretched even further and the community issues we face may get less focus.”