Essex Police in Harlow are concentrating on anti-social behaviour at The Stow, Staple Tye, Bush Fair, the cycle tracks and the town centre, and on a marked rise in burglary and cycle theft. Our guarding and patrols help local businesses respond.
Trusted Protection in Harlow
Harlow Town Centre's police team has set out where its attention lies. Anti-social behaviour hotspots include The Stow, Staple Tye, Bush Fair, the cycle tracks and the town centre itself, while burglary and pedal cycle theft have grown in Staple Tye, Sumners and Kingsmoor and Toddbrook. Shops in the Staple Tye Centre or Bush Fair Shopping Centre can use a visible officer at the door, and workplaces with bike stores benefit from CCTV monitoring and patrols.
Harlow Business Profile
Harlow has 3,645 registered businesses, and construction is the largest group by some distance with 810. Professional services follow at 385 and business services at 330. Two sectors stand above the national picture: health and care at 7.7% against 4.4%, and transport and logistics at 7.1% against 4.3%. Clinics and care providers often need reception security and lone-worker support, while hauliers need gatehouse control and yard guarding.
Our register shows five security workers living within 10 miles of Harlow, so most Harlow contracts are staffed from our wider network of SIA-licensed officers who travel in. Every one is BS 7858 vetted and employed through PAYE, and each shift is booked on by GPS and supervised by our 24/7 control room.
The Playhouse, Harlow Arena and Harlow Greyhound Stadium draw crowds within 5km, as do The Essex Lounge and Victoria Hall. When Martyn's Law takes effect, venues for 200 or more will need prepared procedures, and we can provide stewards and search teams to get ready. What Martyn's Law means for venues.
Sources: Go Security officer network (counts rounded to the nearest 5); ONS UK Business Counts via Nomis; place data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Updated October 2026.
Security Requirements in Harlow
Harlow's shopping is spread between the town centre, the Queensgate Centre, Staple Tye Centre and Bush Fair Shopping Centre, with Oaks and Dukes retail parks on the edges. Business premises cluster at Kao Park, Scimitar Park, West Point Business Park, Temple House Estate and Templefields Enterprise Centre. Princess Alexandra Hospital is within 5km, as are Harlow Town, Harlow Mill and Roydon stations.
There are 27 mapped construction sites and 39 pubs, bars and nightclubs in the same radius, adding plant security and late-night door work to the picture.
Services in Harlow
From shop guarding at neighbourhood centres to yard patrols at Templefields, Harlow businesses can choose these services.
Security guarding · Mobile patrols · Key holding · Alarm response · Event security · K9 security · CCTV towers · CCTV monitoring · POD intruder alarms
Crime & Security Data
Police.uk data shows 5,290 offences within one mile of central Harlow for September 2025 to August 2026.
Violence and sexual offences made up 2,051, roughly 39%. Anti-social behaviour reached 471, shoplifting 447, criminal damage and arson 445 and public order 428. The latest quarter was 21% above the same months a year earlier, and shoplifting rose 37%. Both increases point retailers towards uniformed officers and store detectives, and the near-equal criminal damage count is a reason for business parks to review patrols and lighting.
Source: Police.uk open data, street-level crime within ~1 mile, September 2025 to August 2026. Locations are approximate.
Local Policing
Essex Police's Harlow Town Centre team prioritises anti-social behaviour hotspots, a rise in residential burglary and an increase in pedal cycle theft, especially around Staple Tye, Sumners and Kingsmoor and Toddbrook.
Current neighbourhood priorities:
Source: Police.uk neighbourhoods, the policing team whose area covers Harlow.
Areas We Cover Near Harlow
Sawbridgeworth is 4 miles from Harlow, while Hoddesdon and Epping are both 5; distances to all covered towns are given below.
Postcodes We Cover in Harlow
The 7 postcode districts nearest central Harlow, covering parts of East Hertfordshire, Harlow, Epping Forest, Uttlesford and Broxbourne.
Nearest first. Source: ONS postcode data via postcodes.io. Need another postcode? Check coverage.
Harlow Security FAQs
Both are named by Essex Police as anti-social behaviour hotspots. A uniformed retail officer at the entrance, CCTV monitoring and recorded incident reports support staff and give the police useful evidence.
Police.uk shows shoplifting up 37% on the previous year, with 447 offences within a mile. Uniformed officers deter casual theft, and store detectives target repeat offenders. Our free security audit can help decide which suits your shop.
Transport and logistics firms make up 7.1% of Harlow businesses, well above the 4.3% average. Gatehouse officers, yard and warehouse guarding and mobile patrols suit sites at Templefields and nearby business parks.
Health and care makes up 7.7% of Harlow firms, against 4.4% nationally. We provide reception security, lone-worker support linked to our 24/7 control room, and out-of-hours cover for clinics and care premises.
Five security workers in our network live within 10 miles of Harlow. We staff larger contracts from our wider network, with all officers SIA-licensed, BS 7858 vetted and paid through PAYE.
Free, no-obligation quote
Tell us about your site and what you need. We'll price it and come back to you, normally within one working day.
Ring 0800 471 4792 to talk through your requirements, or book a free security audit, worth £250, for your Harlow premises.
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