A community squad designed to help combat crime and disorder in Southend town centre has been approved.

The team of six, made up of five community safety officers and a team leader, will cost £250,000.

The team will focus on the troubled centre but will also be available to help tackle emerging antisocial behaviour in other parts of the borough.

Southend Council’s community safety team is designed to address residents’ concerns over growing crime and disorder levels and help the police.

The team will focus on rough sleeping, homelessness, street drinking and antisocial behaviour associated with drug related crime.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Brian Ayling, chairman of the policy and resources scrutiny community, said: “For two years we’ve been working very hard on this policy.

“We’ve interviewed virtually every enforcement department across the council and they’ve all expressed a degree of needing assistance.

“The way community safety has been endangered over the past 12 months I think it’s essential we demonstrate to residents our will to do something to help them, to make them feel safer and to punish the guilty.”

Mr Ayling added: “The most important part of this recommendation is the fact we are going to have a more professional and better relationship with the police.

“I really do believe the residents will see us as doing something about a problem they face every day.

“A lot of residents do come to us over problems with antisocial behaviour.”

The launch of the scheme follows a number of stabbings, including the murder of retail worker Fabian Kacica, 19, who died from a stab wound to the chest.

Mark Flewitt councillor responsible for public protection, said: “In the cycle of life sometimes good can come from something bad.

“From a peak of high criminality came a joint scrutiny project made up of cross-party members and all were equally enthusiastic as each other. We then in 2018 suffered the tragic death. It was timely that we were putting into effect this £250,000 worth of staffing per annum.”