Vigilantes patrol to plug gaps in policing

VIGILANTE groups are taking to the streets after cuts to police patrols left residents feeling ‘unprotected’.

Two groups are operating in Essex to deter crime and report offences to police.

They say they will intervene if they spot a crime in progress – despite having no formal training or officially recognised powers.

Night Angels Pitsea, in Basildon, and Wick Patrol Group, in Wickford, are believed to be the first organised vigilantes on regular patrol since the New York-based Guardian Angels began setting up chapters in the UK in the late 1980s.

In 2011 Essex Police announced that it was shedding 10 per cent – 388 – of its frontline officers. A fur-

‘Want residents to feel safe’

ther 100 police community support officers were also due to go.

The Night Angels formed last month and have 15 members. Founder Duncan Lamont, 46, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said he took action after a woman was robbed by a mugger who threatened her baby.

He said: ‘We walk, we observe and we report – that’s basically our motto. We want to make residents feel safe so they can walk the dogs or go to the shop.’

The Wickford group has been patrolling since 2016. A founder, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘Since we’ve been in existence, we don’t get the regular burglaries and break-ins.’

There were 30 burglaries in Wickford in the year to November, compared with 99 in the previous 12 months. Criminal damage dropped, while violent crimes were virtually unchanged.

Essex Police urged people not to take the law into their own hands. Inspector Steve Parry said they could join the Active Citizen scheme, in which volunteers patrol with officers.