Essex residents voice strong opposition to police reform plans
Survey results show a preference for maintaining local policing
Residents in Essex have shown significant opposition to proposed Government policing reforms that could eliminate Essex Police.
A survey carried out by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex found that nearly 70% of participants oppose the merger of police forces into regional constabularies.
The survey ran online between 10th June 2026 and 22nd July 2026, gathering over 1,700 responses from people across the county.
As a response to the survey findings, Commissioner Roger Hirst will attend a public meeting at Leigh Community Centre in Southend tonight to discuss the opposition to dismantling the local police model in Essex. Residents can join the meeting starting at 6pm.
Roger Hirst said, "My survey found that the majority of Essex residents who completed it do not back the Government’s reforms to policing. The findings are a warning that scrapping Essex Police in favour of a regional force would be a step too far."
Hirst urged the Government to abandon the current proposals and focus on strengthening local police presence by enhancing community-police links with fair funding.
Survey results showed that 86% of respondents believe maintaining a strong local police presence is important, and 85% agree that local policing should remain locally led.
Chelmsford district had the highest number of survey participants, followed by Braintree, Colchester, and Southend.