The Greenstead estate in Colchester was the latest place to be the target of a joint police and council crackdown project.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Street Weeks team carried out a sweep of the Greenstead estate looking for knives and drugs Picture: ESSEX POLICEThe Street Weeks team carried out a sweep of the Greenstead estate looking for knives and drugs Picture: ESSEX POLICE (Image: ESSEX POLICE)

During the Street Walks project members of the Safer Colchester Partnership took suspected drugs and paraphernalia off the streets, issued speeding tickets and even arrested two men on suspicion of theft.

Prior to the focus week, more than 250 questionnaires were distributed and completed by residents to help determine the areas that would be focused on.

And during the action week, the team also spoke to residents living in and around Forest Road and Magnolia Drive to find out more about their concerns.

As a result of this, teams carried out high-visibility patrols around the estate and University of Essex; used stop and search powers to identify anyone carrying weapons or drugs; searched Magnolia Fields for any weapons and carried out speed checks in Avon Way.

East Anglian Daily Times: The Street Weeks team carried out a sweep of the Greenstead estate looking for knives and drugs Picture: ESSEX POLICEThe Street Weeks team carried out a sweep of the Greenstead estate looking for knives and drugs Picture: ESSEX POLICE (Image: ESSEX POLICE)

As a result of the stop and search activity, two people were given cannabis warnings and two men, aged 30 and 56 and from Dagenham, were arrested on suspicion of theft. The duo were released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Councillor Mike Lilley, cabinet member for public safety, said: “Initiatives like Street Weeks are a fantastic way for a wide range of partners to come together and work with local communities to tackle their concerns.

“We are committed to working with communities, the police and other community safety partners to develop even closer ways of sharing.

“It is only by joint initiatives like Street Weeks we can turn this ambition into a reality.”

Sergeant Rob Temme said: “Street Weeks is all about listening to residents and getting the right organisations involved to fix the problems they highlight, and I want to thank all our officers, volunteers and partners who contributed works.

“The action taken last week is in addition to our every day policing and partnership working in the area, and I want to thank residents for taking the time to talk to us and to report issues to us.

“The information we received was really important to help us identifying and tackling problems, and I continue to urge people to report crime to us.”

The Street Weeks project is funded with £10,000 from the borough council as part of its Better Colchester campaign.

Several community groups support the work and attend the walks, including members of Only Cowards Carry, Samaritans and Neighbourhood Watch.