NUISANCE youths and a lack of police are set to be hot topics at a special public meeting with the MP and police and crime commissioner.

Residents will have the chance to quiz re-elected MP Bernard Jenkin and commissioner Roger Hirst at the Park Pavilion, Barrack Lane, Dovercourt, on June 29.

Organised by Harwich councillor Geoff Smith, the meeting is aimed at giving the public a chance to raise issues and ask questions on a range of topics.

“To get the police and crime commissioner and your MP together at the same time is very very rare, so we don’t want people to miss the opportunity to voice their concerns,” added Mr Smith.

“I think people’s concerns are around a lot of things.

“We seem to get a lot of incidents with youngsters causing problems in the town. I saw something on social media the other day where a woman said she was driving and kids were throwing stones at the cars.

“Also people are concerned about the amount of police - we are hoping Chief Inspector Russ Cole will be at the meeting too.”

The meeting comes after Mr Smith organised an urgent event in November following a spate of crime in the town. About 250 people turned out to the public meeting, but they could only get representatives from the MP and police and crime commissioner.

“The feeling at the end of the last meeting was that people wanted to speak to Bernard Jenkin and the commissioner.

“At the time there had been a spate of burglaries - every day on social media you would see something about a house being broken into.

“That’s why I wanted to arrange the meeting. As councillors we get criticism and people asking what we are doing.”

Mr Smith is urging the public to attend the open meeting on June 29, which will run from 6.30pm to 8pm.

“We need people to come along,” he said.