Essex Police Dispatch - issue 68
This week's news includes Harlow fire tragedy a decade on, Braintree warrants, a survivor of sexual abuse tells her story and unauthorised encampments fall by 70%.
Breaking News Dartford Crossing: Bridge closed due to people at height
Officers are currently working to resolve a situation which has caused us to close the QEII Bridge at the Dartford Crossing. Read more.
News 10 October to 16 October
Harlow: Officers join community to pay respects decade after fatal fire — www.essex.police.uk
Essex Police officers joined family members and the Harlow community in paying their respects to six members of the same family who died in a fire at their home a decade ago. Read more.
Brentwood: Three arrested following disturbance — www.essex.police.uk
Three people have been arrested following an incident in Queens Road, Brentwood shortly before 1.30pm on Sunday. It was reported a man had been assaulted and a woman had been in collision with a car.
There is a significant police presence in the area while officers from Brentwood CID investigate. At this stage we believe this was a targeted incident and three men have been arrested. Read more.
Loughton: Investigation into body discovery passed to Met — www.essex.police.uk
Through our enquiries, we now believe he died within the area for which the Met Police is responsible. Read more.
Uttlesford: Three stopped by rural officers on suspicion of trespassing in pursuit of game — www.essex.police.uk
Officers from our Rural Engagement Team stopped three people in the Uttlesford District on suspicion of trespassing in pursuit of game. Read more.
Southend: Man charged following York Road incident — www.essex.police.uk
A man has been charged in connection with an incident in Southend where a teenage was found with serious injuries. Read more.
Pitsea: Dwayne Forrester's killers jailed for 11 years — www.essex.police.uk
Jeffrey Goodwin, 26, and Hayden Line, 25, have both been jailed for 11 after they admitted to the manslaughter of Dwayne, more than four years after he was killed. Read more.
Braintree: Man jailed for rape — www.essex.police.uk
Paul Gellen who raped and sexually assaulted a woman has been jailed following work by specialist officers. Read more.
Essex Police receives ‘Good’ gradings for treating the public fairly, using resources well and developing a positive workforce — www.essex.police.uk
Inspection results released by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the latest PEEL report. Read more.
Thanking the voice of Essex Police
Last week was International Control Room Week and it gave us an opportunity to thank the voice of Essex Police – our call handlers.
Staff passing out included those now working in our force control room, our resolution centre and in our stations' front offices.
They were welcomed into our force by Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet and Head of Contact Management Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper at a ceremony at Essex Police Headquarters in Chelmsford.
Survivor of sexual abuse bravely shares experiences — www.essex.police.uk
A survivor of sexual abuse has bravely shared her experiences, after her abuser was sentenced today to 12 years in prison. Read more.
Unauthorised encampments in Essex fall by 70% in four years — www.essex.police.uk
The number of unauthorised encampments in Essex has fallen by more than two-thirds since 2018 after work by our Rural Engagement Team. Read more.
Basildon: Terry Leeks murder featured on Crimewatch Live — www.essex.police.uk
A reconstruction and appeal for information about the murder of Terry Leeks in Basildon featured on Crimewatch Live last week. Read more.
Rayleigh: Man arrested after reports of gun threat — www.essex.police.uk
A man has been arrested as part of our response to an incident in Rayleigh this morning. Read more.
Chelmsford: Family of Ashley Wadsworth thank officers after murderer jailed — www.essex.police.uk
A man who admitted murdering a 19-year-old Canadian woman who came to the UK to be with him has been given a life sentence with a minimum of 23-and-a-half years in prison. Read more.
Family pay tribute to young man killed in collision — www.essex.police.uk
The family of a young man who died following a serious collision in Colchester have described him as “truly amazing” and “irreplaceable”. Read more.
Crime Prevention Advice


Make your mark to help protect your property. Full details on our website.
Be Fraud Smart
How to verify a police officer's identity
Find out how to verify that a police officer is genuine and not a fraudster.
There have been occasions when fraudsters have posed as police officers, both in person and on the phone, to trick people into giving them personal information and defraud them of money.
If you're unsure about whether the person you're dealing with is a genuine police officer – stop – and call us on 101 to check their identity.
Please note, if you've been on the phone to someone – who called you – but you have doubts about them, we recommend that you hang up and wait five minutes before you call us. There have been cases of fraudsters keeping the line open after a victim has hung up. Leaving several minutes between calls will make sure that the call has closed. Read more.
Careers at Essex Police
Police Community Support Officer closing 8 January 2023
Detention Officer closing 18 November 2022
Business Services Assistant closing 31 October 2022
Athena Systems Officer closing 27 October 2022
Press and PR Officer closing 24 October 2022
Campaigns and Partnerships Manager closing 23 October 2022
Restorative and Mediation Service Co-Ordinator closing: 20 October 2022
IT - Risk Analyst & Programme Co-ordinator closing 19 October 2022
Resolution Centre Investigator
Contact Handler (full time and part time)
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
Become part of our Special force
What do you do in your spare time? Are you a fan of police drama? Do you want to see policing from the other side? In real life? Do you want to help people, keep them safe and catch criminals? So many questions but we’ve got the answers. Find out more.
How are we doing?
We launched the Essex edition of Dispatch a year ago. In that time, we've sent about 200,000 emails including over 1,000 news items and stories about what Essex Police has been doing to catch criminals, keep people safe and protect people. Since July, we've launched several district editions of Dispatch including Colchester, Castle Point, Harlow, Maldon, Southend, Braintree and Epping Forest. Over the coming months, more district editions will be launching on the following dates:
Basildon: 26 October 2022
Uttlesford: 9 November 2022
Tendring: 23 November 2022
Brentwood: 7 December 2022
Chelmsford: 21 December 2022
Rochford: 11 January 2023
Thurrock: 18 January 2023
Please consider subscribing for your local district edition. There's more local news, details of events and community meetings in your area and updates about how crime is being dealt with in your local area.
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