Police have arrested a wanted man who was found temporarily living on the roof of a shop in Southend town centre.
The man was discovered in a tent - above the Game shop in the High Street.
A total of two tents had been erected on the roof and needles, believed to be used for drug-taking, were also found.
PC James Brewer from Southend Police, revealed in a Twitter post the policing team found the man as part of an ongoing police operation.
He said: “I have continued to deal with antisocial behaviour around High Street in Southend. And reports led us to the roof where we located a wanted male sleeping rough.”
Southend’s community policing team have been targeting areas in the High Street which are prone to attracting antisocial behaviour and rough sleepers.
They said that one particular spot, the doorway of the old Post Office, which has closed down, has become a favoured place for drinking and begging.
Two weeks ago, PC Brewer moved on rough sleepers from outside the doorway.
But Gill Garwood, chief executive of homeless charity Harp, said rough sleepers should not be stereotyped as drug addicts - and she wants to see more done to help.
She said: “It saddens me that, in this day and age, people still have to resort to sleeping rough to survive.
“At Harp, we are here to support people with any issues that might have led to their homelessness situation, including work to prevent people from having to move to the streets in the first place.
“People become homeless for a whole host of reasons.
“Some are outside of their control, like changes to the welfare system and lack of affordable housing across the country.
“Other reasons are personal like a relationship breakdown, mental health issues or addiction.
“Unfortunately some, but not all, rough sleepers do turn to drugs. In our experience, drugs and alcohol are often used as a way for people to suppress deeper personal issues, which could include anything from a divorce to trauma at a young age.
“We believe that rough sleepers should not be criminalised for being homeless and that is why we are working with agencies in the town, including Southend Council and Southend Police, to try to help people access support that can help them turn their lives around.
“For the past five years, through our Restart Programme, we have encouraged people experiencing problems with addiction to seek treatment with Southend Treatment And Recovery Service, and attend group therapy with Narcotics Anonymous. We encourage residents to volunteer to assist with our services.”
Essex Police and Game were contacted for a comment, but they were unable to provide one before the paper went to press.
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