Brightlingsea residents have a chance to meet the district’s police chief when he visits the town for a walkabout.

Chief Inspector Stuart Austin took over as Tendring District Commander in June and will be visiting Brightlingsea with officers from the local Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) on Tuesday, September 16.

At 10am he’s scheduled to meet Brightlingsea town councillors and representatives from Tendring’s Community Safety Partnership. Then, between around 11am and noon, residents can discuss policing issues with him as he tours parts of the town.

On his appointment, Ch Insp Austin, said: “Neighbourhood policing teams (NPTs) are the cornerstone of the force and we now have seven additional NPT officers in the district. The team will be doing more investigative work and using their local knowledge to catch criminals and solve cases.”

He added: “We have very strong relationships with the local council and community groups, and the confidence levels in policing from the public are high, with more than 80% saying we’re doing a good job. I want to maintain those confidence levels, make sure our officers are visible in neighbourhoods throughout the district, and continue to tackle the issues that we know that impact people.