POLICE are looking to recruit up to 20 street pastors to crackdown on antisocial behaviour after dark.

Officers from the Castle Point and Rochford community policing team have joined forces with the street pastors organisation to offer reassurance, safety and support in Rayleigh.

It comes as the town’s nightlife experiences a boom. Its popularity increased while the Festival Leisure Park, in Basildon, was being revamped to make way for the new Unit 7 nightclub.

Street pastors, a voluntary and church-based organisation, walk the streets at night to help revellers - handing out water and flip flops and escorting people to taxis. They already operate in Basildon, Southend and Billericay.

Sgt Mark McQuade, from the community policing team, met with street pastor co-ordinator Phil Norton and hopes to have a scheme implemented by September.

They are looking to recruit street pastors, who are members of local churches in Rayleigh and have links to the town.

It is also hoped that if the scheme is a success, it will be rolled out across the Castle Point district.

Mr McQuade said: “I have been working with Phil to get a structure around introducing street pastors in Rayleigh.

“When we get it set up and it starts working well then we will aim to roll it out across Hadleigh, Benfleet and Canvey if it is needed.

“We are hoping to have it up and running by September and from June there will be ad hoc visits from street pastors who are from Southend and Basildon.

“They will be there to comfort people, give advice and give them a little bit of help if it is needed.

“If anything happens and the police are required, then the street pastors will be there until we get there.”

Mr Norton said: “There has always been a good night-time economy in Rayleigh and it is a very safe place to go on a night out.

“When Festival Leisure was being refurbished, a few more people went to Rayleigh in the evenings and the night-time economy in the area grew a bit.

“That is when the question came about on how the street pastors could help that night-time economy.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot of trouble but we think that it would be a good idea.

“We want to get some new recruits from the local area - members of the local churches in Rayleigh, who live in the town and worship there.

“Then it is a matter of working through strategies and training the new recruits.”

There are now 12 street pastor groups across Essex, with the most recent being launched in Basildon. Visit streetpastors.org to find out more about volunteering.