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Private security guards carried out their first patrol in Essex on Monday after male migrants have left women scared to go out alone.
asserted
migrants → see → women
The Reform-led county council has hired contractors to monitor migrants on the streets of Colchester, Braintree and Chelmsford – with the first walkabouts starting this week.
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walkabouts → lead → Colchester
Locals in Colchester say that on days when asylum seekers are brought into the city from MDP Wethersfield – a former RAF base in the Essex countryside – the atmosphere can feel very different.
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atmosphere → say → countryside
Women are reportedly being told to 'cover up', girls are allegedly being filmed on mobile phones and groups of young men have been accused of staring, making comments and intimidating locals.
uncertain
groups → tell → locals
Reform said the patrols – named Operation Vanguard – came as a 'direct response to concerns raised amongst local residents, particularly women and girls, over gatherings of male migrants in town centres'.
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patrols → say → centres
Within just moments of their shift starting, officers in Chelmsford were already dealing with their first incident in the city centre.
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officers → start → centre
Two operatives were called by concerned members of the public who had seen a group of four masked youths enter Poundland, believing them to be migrants.
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them → call → Poundland
The team entered the store, asked them to leave and watched as they moved on.
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they → enter → them
They also spoke to numerous locals about their roles.
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They → speak → roles
Some residents in Colchester claimed that the arrival of the migrants has made some women and families avoid the city centre altogether.
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women → claim → centre
Elena Sokolova, 38, told the Daily Mail: 'The problem is, they don't integrate in society.
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they → tell → society
I am a migrant and I integrated into the British way of life.
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I → integrate → life
The men make comments about women, they say they should be dressed more and cover up.
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they → make → women
They film the girls in the town.
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They → film → town
More efforts need to be made to get them to integrate into the British way of life.
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them → need → life
That's what I had to do.
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I → have → what
But they have their own culture.'
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they → have → culture
Two private security guards speak to a local in Braintree, Essex, after the Reform-led county council launched patrols aimed at monitoring migrants
Two more security guards were seen on the streets of Chelmsford and contractors will also be conducting walkabouts in Colchester
Private security guards chat to locals in Braintree yesterday
For Sophie Edmonds, 33, the problem is personal.
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problem → speak → Edmonds
The shop worker says she has experienced 'big issues' with male migrants and now avoids walking around Colchester alone.
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she → say → Colchester
She added: 'Me and my friends have had comments and looks.
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Me → add → comments
They make noises.
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They → make → noises
I hate it.
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I → hate → it
We don't walk around here on our own.
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We → walk → own
They stare in groups.
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They → stare → groups
I've lived here all my life.
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I → live → ?
I never had a bad experience in Colchester until the migrants moved into the camp.
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migrants → have → camp
'I feel so passionately about it because you shouldn't feel unsafe in your own town.
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you → feel → town
You should be fine to walk out in the day and go to work without fear of something bad happening.
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something → walk → fear
Nobody listens to us though.
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Nobody → listen → us
Ms Edmonds believes the impact extends beyond young women.
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impact → believe → women
She added: 'I think everyone is impacted.
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everyone → add → ?
The town is nowhere near as busy as it used to be.
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it → use → ?
You'd rather shop in a town where you're not going to feel scared to walk through.
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you → shop → town
That makes sense if people are being menaced.
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people → make → sense
It feels like a no-go area.'
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It → feel → area
Locals in Chelmsford said they were 'relieved' and 'overjoyed' at the scheme.
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they → say → scheme
John Howes, who lives nearby, said his wife and daughter are now too scared to enter the city.
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wife → live → city
The 66-year-old said: 'My wife and daughter came on Saturday night into Chelmsford and they won't be coming back.
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they → say → Chelmsford
I think this is a really good idea.
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this → think → ?
I know a woman who has been followed across the town by a migrant.
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who → know → migrant
…and 56 more, not listed.
The Aporia
