THE newly appointed Minister for Policing and Fire Service, went on patrol with Essex Police in Chelmsford city centre.

Brandon Lewis began with a tour of Chelmsford Police Station on Thursday (July 21), which was led by chief superintendent Ewen Wilson, the Essex Police area commander.

He met a number of police teams, viewed the custody suite and spoke with officers about policing. 

Mr Lewis said: “It was a privilege to be out with Essex Police in my first visit to police across the country.

"By going out on patrol and speaking with local officers, I learnt a great deal about the day-to-day work of our officers and the fantastic job they do to keep us safe.

“I look forward to continuing to hear about the good work being done by Essex Police in the future.”

Mr Lewis then met with newly-elected Essex PCC, Roger Hirst, and discussed emergency services collaboration in Essex, the performance of Essex Police and plans for the future.

This was followed by a meeting with a local community safety partnership and the Minister was able to hear about the work being done around the night time economy to make the city safer after dark.

He also met neighbourhood and operations inspectors and heard about the work they do to protect vulnerable people in the local area.

The Minister then joined officers on patrol around Chelmsford city centre to see first-hand the life of a police officer responding to calls.

His visit culminated in a tour of the Essex Crime Bureau and a demonstration of the Essex Police Mobile Technology Project.

He saw first-hand how officers use mobile devices to access police databases whilst out on patrol, allowing them check important information rather than having to waste time and resources returning to the station.