NEW centres to report hate crime have been set up.

Essex Police have given training to seven different public bodies specialist training to open the hate crime reporting centres.

The centres provide a place for members of the public to report hate crime as a victim or as a witness for when people feel uncomfortable reporting it to the police directly.

The centres will work in collaboration with Essex Police and other agencies to give support and advice on hate crime.

The centres in the Epping Forest district are:

  • The Box, St John’s Road, Epping
  • Epping Civic Offices, Epping
  • Restore Community, Debden
  • Essex Youth Services, Debden
  • The Limes Centre, Chigwell
  • Job Centre Plus, Loughton
  • Zinc Arts, Ongar

Volunteers have also come forward to become hate crime ambassadors. They promote the reporting of hate crime. There are 70 in the district, and come from town councils, primary and secondary schools, the youth council and charities.

Essex Police are appealing for more people to come forward and volunteer as special constables. They are given training by Essex Police, and patrol the streets in their spare time to fight crime.

They are dressed as police officers, but are only paid expenses.

Police officers have dropped nationally to 198,228 in September 2016. This showed a six per cent decrease in one year.

Essex Police are also hoping to reduce the number of property they own from 80 stations to 30 in a bid to save money.

Waltham Abbey police station is currently up for sale, while Epping and Loughton police stations closed in March last year.

To report crime face to face to a police officer, the public have to travel to Harlow.