A community leader in a village whose Co-op was targeted by armed robbers has reassured residents the area is safe – while a neighbourhood watch group and security committee has been formed to help bolster security.

Two masked men entered The Co-Operative Food store in Hallett Road, Flitch Green, at about 10.55pm on Wednesday, July 5, and stole cash after threatening three staff with a hammer.

The victims were left shaken but unharmed by the incident.

Terry Jack, Flitch Green Parish Council chairman, said while the village was a relatively low-crime area, the authority was not sitting idle.

“Flitch Green is a relatively new community and is a lovely place to live. We have facilities that are the envy of places like Dunmow town centre,” he said.

“No-one can say they are on top of crime, but we are not ignoring it and hoping it becomes someone else’s problem – we want to make it our problem so we can be part of the solution.

“We want to make this a place criminals don’t want to come, a less attractive place for crime at any level. We hope that by acting together as a big community we can prevent these things and look after the more vulnerable.

“We don’t have regular police visits which is true of many villages now, and we recognise that brings a risk of anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, youths with too little to do during the holidays.

“One of the solutions is for the parish council to have a plan, and we do.

“We have brought back to life the Neighbourhood Watch committee, which has 20 members and is an integral part of looking after the village.

“There is also a security committee on the parish council, which brings together Neighbourhood Watch, we hope the school, village shop and the community trust which manages the hall and playing field. We will embark on a programme of CCTV in the area so we have a central view on crime and anti-social behaviour.

“We can’t rely on the Co-op’s own measures because that might just move any crime to somewhere else – we need a joined up view.

“When we identify people causing anti-social behaviour we have an intervention programme to bring them back round to the straight and narrow.”

• Anyone with information about the robbery should call Braintree CID on 101.