- Essex County Council launched Operation Vanguard, a three-month private security trial costing £150,000.
- The patrols cover Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford, linked to daily buses from Wethersfield asylum centre.
- Police say the towns remain safe, and guards will have no police powers beyond ordinary citizens.
Essex County Council has launched a three-month trial of private security patrols in Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford, tying the £150,000 operation to daily bus journeys carrying asylum seekers from Wethersfield into the towns.
The Reform UK-led authority calls the scheme Operation Vanguard. It says guards will provide a visible presence, reassure residents and deter anti-social behaviour in areas where the buses arrive.
The council announced the plan on August 28, 2026. By September 2, the contract had not yet been awarded, although later coverage on September 11 highlighted the start of patrols and the political dispute surrounding them.
Peter Harris, Leader of Essex County Council, described the deployment as a response to complaints from residents.
“This is a positive and proportionate response to the concerns residents have been raising for many months now regarding the daily bussing of asylum seekers from Wethersfield to Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford.”
Harris also linked the policy to concerns raised by women and girls, saying the gatherings would grow as the accommodation site expanded.
“Concerns for community safety are clearly there, particularly among women and girls, because of the daily gatherings of asylum seekers – gatherings which will increase in number and size as the facility expands.”
The patrols can watch public spaces but cannot act as police
The council says the private guards will be licensed by the Security Industry Authority. The officers will be SIA-licensed, it said, and will have no more powers than a member of the public.
Their role is limited. They must not profile people or interfere with lawful activities, according to the council’s description of the arrangement. Any enforcement action will remain with Essex Police.
The planned operation is therefore a visible-security measure rather than a new policing service. Guards may be present in public areas, but the material supplied by the council gives them no special authority to detain people or enforce criminal law.
That distinction is central to the trial. The council’s papers acknowledge that the personnel will not have police powers and must not obstruct lawful conduct.
| Trial detail | Council plan |
|---|---|
| Funding | £150,000 |
| Duration | Three months |
| Locations | Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford |
| Funding source | Community Innovation and Improvement Fund reserve |
| Financial year | 2026/27 |
The authority described the allocation as up to £150,000 from the Community Innovation and Improvement Fund reserve. The reported trial cost is £150,000.
The plan follows daily bus movements from Wethersfield
The patrols focus on parts of the three towns where asylum seekers staying at MDP Wethersfield are regularly taken by bus. The council says the number of people at the accommodation centre is expected to increase by more than 50%.
Its stated goals are reassurance and deterrence. The operation is designed to create what the council described as a visible security operation in the public realm.
The policy follows a specific pattern of transport. Buses leave the Wethersfield accommodation centre for nearby Essex town centres, where asylum seekers gather during the day.
Russel Quirk, Reform UK councillor for Hutton and deputy leader of Essex County Council, presented the plan as a border-security measure.
“We are the first council in Britain to do this. It’s time that #Essex was properly protected from successive failing governments who have failed to secure our borders.”
Quirk said the teams would operate in places where people from the Wethersfield asylum centre were taken each day. He described their purpose as both presence and deterrence.
Police reject the suggestion that asylum seekers have made the centres unsafe
Essex Police has challenged the premise behind the deployment. The force said the three town and city centres are safe places and that each has seen less crime than three years ago.
“Braintree, Colchester, and Chelmsford town and city centres are safe places”
The force also said its neighbourhood teams already patrol the centres daily to deter crime and anti-social behaviour.
“regularly patrol through the town centres each day”
Those patrols remain the responsibility of the police, which will also handle any law enforcement action connected with incidents in the towns.
Rachel Nolan, speaking for the authorities associated with Wethersfield, said there was no basis for linking the site to a broader criminality concern.
“Crimes and incidents associated with the Wethersfield site are very low.”
Nolan said there was “absolutely no reason” for anyone to be concerned about criminality connected with the camp. The comments place the council’s reassurance operation alongside an official assessment that the centres remain safe.
The scheme has opened a political fight inside Essex
Tom Cunningham, Conservative leader of Braintree District Council, accused Harris of “stoking division.” He also said the three-month trial represented a “confrontational approach” near MDP Wethersfield.
The criticism focuses on the message sent by putting private guards in town centres associated with asylum-seeker bus movements. Opponents say the measure could inflame tensions and misrepresent safety conditions, while Reform UK leaders describe it as preventative.
Quirk said the council was “immediately funding security teams in Braintree, Chelmsford and Colchester to provide a visible presence and deterrence in areas where migrants from #Wethersfield asylum centre are bussed every day.”
The competing positions are clear. Reform leaders point to resident concerns, especially those voiced by women and girls. Police point to existing neighbourhood patrols and lower crime than three years ago.
The contract timeline remains part of the rollout
The council’s announcement and the reported implementation unfolded over several dates. Commentary first appeared on August 28, 2026, followed by details of the security-guard plan on August 29.
On August 30, the council’s search for a security company and the £150,000 cost were reported. By September 2, the contract had not yet been awarded, although the funding decision and the police response had been set out.
Coverage on September 11 highlighted the start of patrols and the political row. The trial is scheduled to run for three months across Braintree, Colchester and Chelmsford, with the council’s reserve allocation set in 2026/27.
