A TRIO of police sergeants and constables will work alongside a private park guard under a new crime tackling plan approved by the council.

Epping Forest District Council will spend £645,000 over the next three years hiring one Essex Police sergeant and two constables, in addition to a security company officer performing targeted work.

A 2.5 per cent council tax increase will pay for the measures, which were approve at a cabinet meeting last week.

Sam Kane, the council’s Safer Portfolio Holder and author of the proposals, explained how the scheme would work and why such a move is necessary.

He said: “This is not a private security force, this is the council funding Essex Police officers.

“They will remain in the employ of Essex Police. We will merely fund them.

“Roger Hirst, the Police and Crime Commissioner, plans to increase the precept to raise an extra £6.5m, and he wants to spend that on the local police.

“Unfortunately we will not see any of them until the second or third quarter of 2019.

“Due to a number of reactions we have had from our residents to a number of incidents, we thought we needed to be in a position to get police back on the beat sooner.”

Once the scheme’s Is and Ts have been dotted and crossed, the extra police will begin work in Epping Forest in June.

“It is similar to what happens at Lakeside, where the shopping centre pays for Essex Police officers,” Cllr Kane added.

“It is also fairly similar to what we were doing in 2006 with Police Support Officers, but there are limitations with them in terms of powers.

“With the park guards, we will use them on special occasions like Halloween as a security presence.

“It is just about putting residents' minds at rest.”