TOP police officers and council bosses believe a new Town Centre Action Plan will help make Colchester a better place to work, visit and live.

The new initiative – known as TCAP - will involve the recruitment of ten extra enforcement officers and aims to end aggressive begging, street drinking, antisocial behaviour and drug taking and selling in the town centre.

Colchester Council is ploughing £240,000 into the new plan which will see three new PCSOs for the town centre and one for rural areas, a new antisocial behaviour co-ordinator who will be attached to Colchester Borough Homes and six extra police officers which will be match-funded by Essex Police.

An extra 12 officers will be based in Colchester over the coming months as part of Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst’s decision to increase the council tax precept to fund another 150 officers countywide.

Chief Insp Shaun Kane, Colchester’s district commander, said: “I firmly believe Essex Police, Colchester Borough Council and most importantly the residents we serve all want the same thing - safe communities, reduced fear of crime, and problems identified and solved quickly.

“My officers and PCSOs in Colchester are working hard to make a safe place even safer and I welcome the vision and commitment of Colchester Borough Council in committing resources that will put more visible police officers and PCSOs on our streets.

“With crimes like burglary, car theft and cycle theft all reducing in Colchester, my pledge is that residents will see the extra difference these new officers and PCSOs will make, on top of the work we’re already doing on issues like aggressive begging and disorder in the town centre.”

Some £10,000 of the investment will also be dedicated to funding the number of Street Weeks projects the Colchester policing team can hold.

The popular initiative involved a team of officers tackling issues in a ward.

The partnership will officially launch early next month but, with the action plan agreed in July, work has already begun to create and maintain a record of all actions.

The partnership plan to discuss individuals or groups involved in crime or antisocial behaviour in the town centre and seek appropriate sanctions whether it by via enforcement and penalty notice or even support from the council’s rough sleeping coordinator or other organisations.

Council public safety boss Mike Lilley (Lab) said TCAP wouldn’t target rough sleepers.

He said: “I very much welcome this fresh approach to tackling anti-social behaviour in the town, which is different from anything we have delivered before.

“It’s fantastic news that we can invest significant new money into a dedicated resource that means we can drastically step up the action we take against a small but disruptive number of people who are blighting our town centre.

“TCAP is designed to tackle those involved in criminal activity, or who are being violent, aggressive or abusive, and not aimed at homeless people whose needs are being addressed by outreach coordinators and housing services.”