Terrified locals have described how one of Britain’s most popular and once peaceful seaside areas has become a ‘warzone’ with some now claiming the only way to restore order is to arm the police with guns.
Gang warfare between local youths and those travelling down from London has been blamed for an ‘explosion’ in violence and sexual crime in Southend-On-Sea in Essex.
There are now fears that the six million tourists who flock to the area each year will abandon it in droves after an escalation in ‘carnage’ which has seen terrfying instances of knife fights in the street.
The situation came to a head at the end of July when horrific footage showed gangs of hooden thugs armed with machetes fighting near the Adventure Island theme park.
Dozens of terrified tourists were forced to flee on foot when the violence erupted.
Local groups claimed glass bottles were smashed and windows kicked in as part of the campaign of antisocial behaviour, while officers trying to disperse the crowds were attacked.
Police are now continuing their investigation into the incidents of disorder, with ‘several lines of enquiry’ to identify further suspects in addition to the six arrested.
Tragically, locals and business owners have said it is far from an isolated incident, with regular violence breaking out among rival factions.
Police stats show how Southend Central saw a shocking 280 violent and sexual crimes in June.
That is a shocking nine incidents a day in those crime categories alone.
There were also 72 cases of criminal damage and arson, 69 shoplifting offences and 63 anti-social behaviour crimes.
In total this was 729 crimes in June.
The number in May was even higher with 780 – made up of a staggering 317 violence and sexual crimes.
Both months were a rise on April – which still saw 264 violent and sexual crimes.
Shop owner Rory Coase, 66, said the situation was so bad he wanted to see police armed with guns.
He said: ‘The police response is so weak I think they should be at least Tasering them.
‘In America they are armed, why not here?
‘There is no deterrent. They do whatever they want.
‘I’ve been here 38 years. I am scared. The machete incident was horrific.’
Martin Redwood, 44, has lived in Southend all his life and described it in the last year as like the ‘wild west’.
The builder said: ‘It’s a nightmare. I do not feel safe and I want to get my family out of Southend as soon as possible.
‘Our house is soon going up for sale.
‘I am scared. The machete violence was appalling. It’s like a warzone at the moment.
‘It is all fuelled by rival gangs. It’s youths coming down to London and starting trouble with youths here in Essex.
‘Southend is the meeting place. They’ll soon be an attack where a lot of people are killed.
‘The police are barely here. There’s no respect for them anyway.’
He said he witnessed the start of the machete incident which he described as a ‘rampage’.
He added: ‘Windows are being kicked in, there’s beatings, youths are armed with knives.
‘It’s brazen. This is supposed to be one of Britain’s best tourist and seaside destinations.
‘With the way it’s going, that will be killed off.’
Yazmin Celpham, 17, who works in Lena’s Cafe in the city, said she had seen an escalation in violence.
She said: ‘It’s all the youths coming down from London.
‘They are regularly having to close the train station platforms.
‘It’s shocking. They are only about 15 or 16.
‘It’s intimidating. They think they can do what they want.
‘This is my home city and I want to feel safe.’
Kerry Bradshaw – who lives in nearby Leigh-on-Sea – was in Southend shopping but said she avoided it at night because of safety fears.
The 64-year-old said: ‘I am too scared to come here at night.
‘I didn’t want to come here. It’s rough now. I avoid it.
‘It’s scary, awful and frightening here.’
Essex Police do have a pod in the town. A place often manned by officers to provide a visible presence in the area and reassure locals.
When visited this week it was closed.
David Cullen, 64, who has lived in the city since 2011, said he was intimidated living in Southend.
He added: ‘I have no idea how they will stop it.
‘There’s youths doing what they want. There’s vandalism. It’s out of control.’
Another local said: ‘They carry out vandal attacks, there’s an awful lot of shoplifting.
‘A lot of it is kids on bikes doing what they want because they know they’ll get away with it.
‘There’s often violence at night between youths from London and locals.
‘I reckon a lot of them will be armed with knives.’
Essex Police’s Chief Superintendent Leighton Hammett said it was disappointing some people in Southend talked down the city and people living there.
He claimed that 80 percent of people in the district believed his force did a good or excellent job.
The chief added: ‘We’re really proud to serve this community and proud of everything the city has to offer. We want people to come here and enjoy the beautiful seafront, the world-famous pier, and the fantastic city centre.
‘Despite the picture some are trying to paint, Southend is a really safe place. Crime is been falling here and has been for some time, and has been falling at a quicker rate than most other parts of the county.
‘There were 1,500 fewer crimes reported across the district in the last year (a 6.5 percent fall), with 1,000 fewer violent crimes (a 12 percent fall) and 80 fewer sexual offences (a 10 percent fall). Knife crime is down by more than 11 percent in the last year, while anti-social behaviour reports are down 22 percent.
‘We work hard, with our partners, to understand concerns of businesses and residents and to address these.
‘Where there have been incidents which have caused concern, we have responded quickly, such as that which took place last month.
‘We responded quickly and robustly making arrests within minutes. The eight people charged have not gone home as they are still remanded in custody.
‘I completely and categorically reject the assertion that any part of Southend is a ‘no go zone’.
‘Thousands of people come to the city each and every week and have a fantastic time, enjoying everything it has to offer.
‘And we’ve put in place plans, with our partners, to ensure they can do this.
‘Operation Union, which runs throughout the summer, is having a really positive impact.
‘We’ve made more than 75 arrests so far this summer as part of it and carried out more than 230 stop searches with more than 40 percent leading to illegal items being discovered, and we’ve seen violence and anti-social behaviour reduce.
‘We work alongside Southend-on-Sea City Council, the British Transport Police, rail operators and seafront businesses as part of the operation to keep you safe.
‘Our officers are supported by British Transport Police – who monitor activity along the train lines into the city – the council’s community safety officers and CCTV team, and the local private security teams employed by the pubs and leisure attractions.
‘Finally, I want to thank the vast majority of people in Southend who support the city and us.
‘You will continue to see us visible in our communities so when you see us, please come and say hi.’
Cllr Daniel Cowan, leader of the council, said: ‘The July incident, whilst concerning, was a very rare occurrence. Southend is a vibrant coastal city visited by millions of people every year. We work hard with our police colleagues to ensure Southend is a safe place and the facts show that crime has been falling and quicker than in many other areas. There’s always work to do but Southend is a great place to live and visit.’