Reform hires security patrols for asylum seeker hotspots

£118,000 three-month experiment puts private guards on Essex streets

Reform UK has launched a controversial three-month security operation in Essex, sending six private security operatives into town centres where asylum seekers from the nearby Wethersfield accommodation site are reported to gather.

Dubbed Operation Vanguard, the scheme will see two operatives each patrol Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester between 10am and 6pm, seven days a week.

The trial is expected to cost around £118,000 plus VAT, with up to £150,000 being taken from a community improvement fund.

Reform-controlled Essex County Council says the operation is intended to provide a visible and reassuring presence, deter anti-social behaviour and gather evidence about whether further action is required.

Reform: residents want action

The scheme follows the Government's decision to expand the former RAF Wethersfield asylum accommodation site from 800 places to 1,245, with the facility expected to remain in operation beyond 2027.

Reform says the operation is a direct response to concerns raised by residents, particularly women and girls, about gatherings of male migrants in town centres.

Peter Harris, Reform leader of Essex County Council, said the six guards would provide a "visible and reassuring presence" and insisted that the safety of Essex residents comes first.

But there is an important qualification: the private security guards have no greater legal powers than ordinary members of the public. Actual policing and criminal enforcement remain the responsibility of Essex Police.

No evidence of increased crime

That has put the scheme at the centre of a political row.

A council report states that the Home Office says there is no evidence that the Wethersfield asylum accommodation site has affected crime levels.

However, the same report acknowledges what it calls anecdotal evidence that the presence of asylum seekers has created a fear and perception of increased risk among some members of the community.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have attacked Operation Vanguard, accusing Reform of stoking fear and using private security instead of investing in policing and community projects.

The Home Office said public safety remains its first priority and that it works with local police to ensure the safety and security of communities around the Wethersfield site.

For Reform, however, the experiment is now underway.

Six guards. Three towns. £118,000. And three months to see whether a highly visible security presence can change the way residents feel about safety on their streets.

SOURCE