Anti-social behaviour across Essex has fallen over the past year by almost a quarter according to figures released by Essex Police.

40,965 incidents of anti-social behaviour were recorded in 2021, a drop of 23.6% compared with the previous 12 months.

Superintendent Richard Melton said: “The numbers continue to fall and last year showed a steep drop compared with 2020. While that can partly be attributed to the fact that breaches of public health regulations during the first year of the pandemic were recorded as anti-social behaviour, it also reflects the hard work our community policing teams have put in to address issues locally.”