Reducing drug and knife crime and tackling violence against women and girls – Commissioner sets out priorities for year ahead
A renewed focus on reducing drug and knife crime, tackling violence against women and girls, and improving outcomes for rape victims will be central priorities for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex in 2026.
Roger Hirst MBE, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, has spoken of his key areas of focus for the year ahead.
Mr Hirst said: “Reducing drug and knife crime remains central to our continued success in keeping Essex safe. Since 2016, our approach has combined strong enforcement with prevention and partnership working.
“This year, Essex Police will continue to use stop and search to target those carrying drugs or weapons, and Police Cadets will carry out test purchases at retailers selling knives. Partnership patrols will continue in hotspot areas, alongside targeted weeks of action such as Op Sceptre and regular knife sweeps, based on intelligence, will take place across the county. Every police station in Essex now has a knife surrender bin, with many more located in community settings.
“We also know we must tackle the causes of knife crime. That means educating young people, supporting families, and working closely with schools, colleges and universities. We are funding partners such as the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit’s ReRoute team, which supports young people involved in knife-related offending. We plan to expand the number of education officers delivering knife crime sessions, and our surrender bins have removed thousands of knives from our streets — each one a win for community safety.
“These efforts are working. Since our Violence and Vulnerability Unit was established in 2019, over £9 million of investment has been brought into the county and during this time – with a concerted effort on prevention, early intervention and working with Essex Police on enforcement – we have seen a 24% reduction in Knife Crime, with hospitals reporting over 50% reduction in knife harm incidents.
Mr Hirst also highlighted Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as a major priority for 2026:
“Protecting women and girls is a core focus. We are prioritising high-harm offenders through targeted patrols, innovative data tools such as Minerva, and closer collaboration with community partners. Our work spans early intervention, disruption, victim support, and challenging harmful cultures through education and awareness. We will continue to improve city and town centres across Essex with our Safer Streets funding programme.
“We will work with government to deliver its new VAWG strategy, published in December. Many of the actions contained in the strategy are being carried out already, but it is vital that the funding needed to implement this strategy is secured.”
Improving the solved rate for rape offences in Essex is another key focus.
“Essex Police is committed to improving justice outcomes for victims of rape and serious sexual offences. While outcomes for violent stranger rape are strong, and there is improvement with the solved rate for rape offences doubling over the past 12 months, there is more to do. We must ensure that all offenders who pose a risk to our communities are identified, investigated and brought to justice.”
Mr Hirst also reaffirmed his commitment to tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB). Since 2016 reported incidents of ASB in Essex have fallen by over two-thirds.
“We are going to keep up the pressure, we will deliver visible patrols, strengthen partnerships with councils and housing providers, and run targeted operations on issues such as youth nuisance. We rely on the public reporting ASB to help us build intelligence and respond effectively. Our priority is to reduce incidents, address root causes, and support repeat victims.
“Through our public engagement schedule, which sees the PFCC host a public meeting in each of the 14 districts of Essex, every year, we identify local concerns and then support the emergency services to act on those concerns. An example of this is Warrior Square in Southend, first raised as an issue at a PFCC public meeting in the city, now a situation greatly improved by targeted patrols and community action by all partners.”
Retail crime will be another major area of focus:
“We endorse a robust approach to retail crime through rapid intelligence-sharing tools such as the ShopSafe Alert app, the work of our Business Crime Teams, targeted operations including plain‑clothes patrols, and strong partnerships with retailers. Accelerated court appearance schemes are helping us bring offenders to justice more quickly, including through direct-to-court summonses and Criminal Behaviour Orders that ban prolific offenders from stores. We also support the work of Neighbourhood Policing Teams to address the underlying causes of shoplifting, which often stem from addiction and Essex Police’s Drug Test on Arrest scheme continues to drive rehabilitation.”
Finally, Mr Hirst emphasised the ongoing importance of road safety:
“Road safety will remain a top priority for the PFCC through to 2028. In our most recent public engagement, the PFCC precept survey 2026, respondents identified improving road safety and reducing road deaths to zero as their number one fire and rescue priority. We will work with all partners to formulate a co-ordinated approach to road safety in Essex, looking at vehicle design, road landscape changes and efforts to improve driving skills and reducing dangerous driving on county roads.
“As your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, I am committed to enabling and encouraging Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service to create safe, secure communities, the bedrock of prosperity for all.”