IF you are a regular visitor to Southend High Street and seafront the chances are that you’ll have seen one of our street rangers.

If you haven’t then look out for their distinctive bright blue polo shirts and jackets.

The street rangers are a small but brilliant team of people who love Southend and their job is to help you if you have a question or a problem and above all else, to have a brilliant time. That said, the role of a street ranger covers an increasing number of areas and they play an important role working alongside our emergency services.

Since April, the Bid street rangers have also worked to support and engage with some 878 rough sleepers who are often vulnerable people. Ask a street ranger for a copy of the “Don’t Walk By leaflet”, which gives practical advice and facts about how you too can help homelessness people in Southend. There’s also a version available at visitsouthend.co.uk

Of course, in a popular and busy shopping destination such as Southend, retail crime is also something that the rangers are called in to help shops’ security guards and the police. Armed with nothing more than a radio and first-rate local knowledge the street rangers are our very own crime-fighting superheroes, helping police to catch thieves and deter others. In the past five months they have been called to assist with 919 incidents which have successfully resulted in offenders being detained.

Alison Dewey, Southend Bid manager