Essex County Council, controlled by Reform UK, has brought in private security guards to patrol three town centres following reports of intimidation and alleged “wolf-whistling” at schoolgirls by groups of male migrants.
The council said six security “operatives” will patrol Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford from today under an initial three-month trial.
The move comes after Government plans to increase the number of asylum seekers housed at RAF Wethersfield, a former airfield, from 800 to 1,245. The Home Office has also confirmed that the accommodation site will remain operational beyond 2027.
Residents of the centre, described as the largest of its kind in Britain, are regularly taken by bus to nearby towns to shop and use local services.
Reform UK said the initiative, titled Operation Vanguard, was launched in “direct response to concerns raised amongst local residents, particularly women and girls, over gatherings of male migrants in town centres”.
Braintree resident Mike Readon, 66, said last month that he had witnessed the impact of the arrivals in the town centre, claiming groups were brought in by bus each morning, carrying smartphones and often wearing masks.
He said: “They hang around the bus station and they whistle at the schoolgirls coming off the buses.
“It’s horrendous. Lots of women just avoid the town entirely on a Thursday because it’s a totally different environment.”
Reform UK-run Essex County Council has hired security guards to deter alleged “gatherings of male migrants” in town centres following reports of intimidation, including in Braintree.
Migrants are reportedly dropped off by the busload and have been seen sitting by the roadside.
Reform UK said the new guards will cost £118,000 plus VAT and patrol Braintree, pictured, Colchester and Chelmsford town centres from 10am to 6pm, seven days a week.
“You see them hanging around the cash machines and then going into charity shops, haggling for a shirt that only costs a pound, trying to get it for 50p.”
‘My wife and her friends, they wouldn’t come in on a Thursday, certainly not alone anyhow.’
Reform UK leader of Essex County Council, Peter Harris, said: ‘Today, Operation Vanguard moves from words to action.
‘Six trained security guards, two each in Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester, will provide a visible and reassuring presence on our streets, particularly for women and children.
‘Our message is simple: the safety of Essex residents comes first.’
New Essex Police Chief Constable Rachel Nolan has said crime linked to the large asylum accommodation in the county was ‘very low’.
‘Certainly, as far as I’ve seen, there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be concerned about criminality associated with migrants from the Wethersfield camp in Essex,’ she told BBC Look East.
The new patrols will cost around £118,000 plus VAT and will be funded through a drawdown of up to £150,000 from a community improvement fund, the party said.
The guards will work from 10am to 6pm seven days a week to ‘deter anti-social behaviour’, the council said, and provide ‘reassurance’ to residents and ‘gather evidence’ on whether additional support is needed.
Mr Harris, writing in Our News Outlet last month, described Wethersfield as a ‘holiday camp’, noting luxuries included a fully kitted-out gym, complete with a fitness studio, a full-sized football pitch, indoor sports hall, television room and pool table.
Reports from inside Wethersfield also paint a picture of violence, with one 25-year-old, Adnani Mohammed, sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work earlier this year for ‘violently’ attacking staff in a drunken rage.
Chelmsford resident Kevin Taylor last month described how these migrants spilling out of the camp had affected his town.
He told Our News Outlet: ‘The men hang around in gangs. Women and children are intimidated by the courthouse; there are big groups of them there.
‘I feel the UK has lost its way; they should respect our environment. Letting anyone in, mostly men, it’s too many handouts. Everyone is scared. It’s sad, really.’
While there is no known record of any conviction for serious incidents of criminality in the town linked to the camp, there has been a claim of assault on a woman.
On the other side, angry hard Right protestors, calling themselves ‘auditors’, hurl abuse at the incoming migrants while local people are caught in the middle of the aggressive maelstrom.
Wethersfield migrant camp is the largest migrant camp in Britain and currently houses 800 asylum seekers, but the Government has announced it will increase the population to 1,245 and will continue using the base beyond 2027
Last month, Reform UK leader of Essex County Council, Peter Harris, writing in Our News Outlet, described Wethersfield as a ‘holiday camp’
Migrants are carted off to nearby towns by minibuses regularly, like Braintree (pictured) only seven miles away
One clip, shared by Nigel Farage to his 2.3million followers on X, showed a group of migrants sitting around waiting for their minibuses to pick them up on the edge of Braintree town centre for the 20 minute drive back to the camp
But Reform’s security guard push has drawn strong criticism from opposing councillors, including Labour county councillor Lee Scordis, who said the ‘decision is clearly driven by prejudice.’
He said: ‘The council’s own report and the police tell us there is no evidence of any rise in crime from asylum seekers in Colchester.
‘This decision is clearly driven by prejudice. We have no answers over what they will do, the powers they will have and even if the council has consulted the police on this.’
Private security guards generally have no more power than other members of the public to take any action against crime, and so law enforcement will still need to be led by police.
A council report titled Launch of Operation Vanguard stated that the Home Office claims ‘there is no evidence of Wethersfield AAA (Airfield Asylum Accommodation) having an impact on crime levels’.
It then says: ‘Regardless of this there is anecdotal evidence – which the Home Office has publicly acknowledged – that the presence of this community of asylum seekers creates a fear and perception of a risk of crime.’
Reports of fears over migrants in the community have stretched back in the area as far as May this year.
One local woman posted a video of migrants in the town waiting to be picked up with a caption saying: ‘Thankfully a friend walked me to the bus stop the other night. It’s extremely intimidating walking past groups of undocumented men in Braintree. Women and children aren’t safe.’
The new guards will primarily work in the areas where the migrants are dropped off in the selected towns but will assist with other security issues where necessary, an Essex County Council spokesperson said.
Protesters demand the ex-military base at RAF Wethersfield is closed during a demonstration in September last year
But Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Robinson, leader of Chelmsford City Council, also took issue with the extra use of security guards.
He said: ‘We need to make sure our communities are safe and cohesive, but stoking fear and stirring up stereotypes about asylum seekers, which is what Reform UK is doing, will not achieve that.
‘We need effective policing, wherever crime and anti-social behaviour occurs, and investment in projects that really make a difference like Liberal Democrat-led Chelmsford City Council’s Women’s Safety Charter… not ineffective, private security.
‘The asylum system is in a mess because certain Reform politicians, who used to be Conservative ministers, let the system spiral out of control.
‘This has resulted in the taxpayer forking out for hotels and temporary asylum accommodation.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘Public safety remains our first priority and we expect any criminality to be taken seriously. We work with local police to ensure the safety and security of local communities around the site, the staff who work there and those accommodated.
‘The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms. We are working to fairly house asylum seekers across the country, close every asylum hotel and move asylum seekers into alternative accommodation including former military sites.’
