Essex Police Dispatch - issue 135
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 22 January to 28 January
Harlow: Appeal following serious assault
Officers have enforced a Section 60 order, increasing powers to stop and search individuals within a specific area around Oakwood Pond, off Fourth Avenue in Harlow.
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Serial abuser admits breaching Violent Offender Order
A serial abuser has admitted breaching a rare Violent Offender Order used to protect people and the general public.
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Could you live without your car? If the answer is no, make sure it’s insured
Essex Police officers seized 1196 uninsured cars and commercial vehicles to combat uninsured drivers - make sure you insure your vehicles.
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Stephen Bear made £22,000 through criminal acts, Economic Crime Unit investigation proves
A man who was previously found guilty of ‘revenge porn’ offences will appear in court again in March after our officers proved he made more than £22,000 from his crimes.
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Harlow: Shoplifter sentenced within 24 hours of theft
We linked an offender to repeated thefts from a BP garage, in Pegrams Road, Harlow, between 20 December last year and Friday 19 January.
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Chelmsford: Man jailed for attempted murder of his wife at their home
Besim Nezha, 52, was jailed for 18 years for the attempted murder of his wife at their home when he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday 26 January.
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Castle Point: Meet the officers responding to your emergency calls
No two days are the same for our local policing officers, who are the first police officers you are likely to see at an incident.
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SVIU identify 737 vehicles worth £27m in the past year
The team of PC Paul Gerrish, PC Phil Pentelow and analyst Hannah Gerrish frequently seize stolen cars within hours of them being taken.
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Witham: Man arrested in connection with courier fraud
A man has been arrested in connection with a courier fraud in Witham, thanks to the quick actions of our officers.
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Wickford: Two arrested in illicit drugs investigation
Officers executed a warrant in a unit in Whitebridge Farm Industrial Estate, London Road, Wickford.
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Westcliff: Shoplifter jailed and banned from BP and Sainsburys
Christopher French was jailed after pleading guilty to more than 30 thefts from BP garages and Sainsburys supermarkets.
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Southend: Modern slavery and drugs charges secured
Specialist drugs officers made an arrest and have secured charges after a warrant was executed in Shoeburyness on Tuesday 23 January.
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Two arrested after cannabis farm uncovered
As part of an investigation by our serious and organised crime unit, officers executed a warrant on Monday 22 January.
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Specialist officers arrest 1,600 in 2023
Officers with our Operational Support Group conduct high visibility patrols, make arrest attempts and carry out warrants.
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Operation Harrier: Using technology to support those at risk
A project by Essex Police has so far prevented around 704 missing person incidents.
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Road Crime Team arrest 10 and recover 4 stolen vehicles
Our Road Crime Team led a successful Essex-wide policing operation to tackle road crime that saw 10 arrests and four stolen vehicles recovered in just three days.
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Eighteen suspected shoplifters charged with 52 offences
Four individuals were arrested in Harlow, three detained in Thurrock and Basildon, and two in each of Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester and Southend.
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Wickford: Two men arrested in connection with a stolen car
Two arrests were made on Monday 22 January following a report of a stolen Ford Fiesta from Basildon on Saturday 20 January.
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Crime down in 2023 thanks to dedication of officers, staff, and volunteers
Across Essex in 2023, there were 9,470 fewer crimes reported which represents a reduction of nearly six percent compared to 2022.
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"You can have confidence in our officers' integrity"
“You can have confidence in our officers because we’re rooting out misconduct and stopping people who don’t match our values joining in the first place”.
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Harlow: Burglar sentenced after tricking 86-year-old
A burglar in Harlow tricked a man in his 80s and took his wallet was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
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Colchester: Woman arrested following serious assault
A woman has been arrested following a serious assault in Colchester on Sunday, 21 January.
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Drug testing on arrest can help people escape cycle of re-offending
More than 1,460 people arrested in Essex referred to specialist drugs workers after testing positive in custody for Class A drugs.
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Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 29 January
10am to 11am
Shoebury and Thorpe Bay Baptist Church, 90 Thorpedene Gardens, Shoebury
10.30am to 11.30am
Vange Library, Southview Rd, Basildon SS16 4ET
10.30am to 11.30am
Outside B&M, Iconfield Retail Park, Freshfields Road, Harwich.
11am to 12pm
Westcliff Library, 649 London Road, Westcliff
Tuesday 30 January
10am to 11am
Lakelands Centre , 2 Western Approach, Stanway, Colchester
10.30am to 11.30am
Chadwell St Mary Information Centre, Brentwood Road
12pm to 2pm
The Megacentre Rayleigh, 7 Brook Road, Rayleigh SS6 7UT
2pm to 3pm
Great Tarpots library, 127 London Road, South Benfleet
2.30pm to 3.30pm
Outside Chase High School, Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff
2.30pm to 4.30pm
Asda, Rawreth Lane, Rayleigh SS6 9RN
3pm to 4pm
East Tilbury Hub, Princess Avenue, East Tilbury
3pm to 4.30pm
Witham Town Hall, Heritage Suite
Wednesday 31 January
10am to 12pm
New Ground Cafe, Newhall, Harlow
10am to 11am
Costa Coffee 76/78 High Street, Billericay CM12 9BT
10am to 11am
Cafe, The Square, Cluny Square, Southend
10am to 11am
Morrison's Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton.
10am to 11am
Marks and Spencer, STANE RETAIL PARK, Colchester
10.30am to 11.30am
Grays Library, Thameside Complex Orsett Road, Grays
11am to 12pm
Brew 81 Unit 5 Hurricane Way, Wickford SS11 8YB
11am to 12pm
Southend Christian Fellowship, The Plaza, 500 Southchurch Road, Southend
11am to 12pm
Jilly Beans Cafe, 121 Furtherwick Road, Canvey Island, SS8 7AT
1.30pm to 2.30pm
Outside St Marys Primary School, East Street, Southend
2pm to 3pm
Tilbury Hub, Civic Square.
2pm to 3pm
Barringtons, Sutton Road, Southend
5.30pm to 7.30pm
Havens Hub, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
Thursday 1 February
10.30am to 11.30am
One Colchester Hub 4-6 Long Wyre street, CO1 1LH
11am to 12pm
Eastgate Food Court, Eastgate Shopping Centre, Southernhay, Basildon SS14 1EB
11am to 12pm
Knightswick Shopping Centre, Foksville Road, Canvey Island, SS8 7AD
12pm to 1pm
McDonalds, Staple Tye, Harlow
12pm to 1pm
Seven Hotel, 7 Cliffton Terrace, Southend
12.30pm to 1.30pm
Tiptree Tea Room, Museum and Jam Shop, Factory Hill, Tiptree, CO5 0RF
2pm to 3pm
Morrisons, Northwick Road Northwick Retail Park, Canvey Island SS8 0SW
2.30pm to 3.30pm
Outside St Helens Primary School, North Road, Westcliff
Friday 2 February
10am to 11am
Walton Primary School, Food bank, Standley Road, Walton on Naze.
11.30am to 12.30pm
The Mill Arts & Events Centre, Bellingham Lane, Rayleigh SS6 7ED
2.30pm to 3.30pm
Outside Milton Hall Primary School, Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff
3pm to 4pm
Co-op, Church Road, Stansted
4pm to 5pm
Havens Hub, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
Saturday 3 February
9am to 10am
Co-Op, Sutton Road, Southend
9am to 11am
Gunpowder Park Run, Gunpowder Park, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey
11am to 12pm
Southend Museum, Victoria Avenue, Southend
11am to 12pm
Poplar Nurseries, Coggeshall Road, Marks Tey, Colchester CO6 1HR
3pm to 4pm
Farm Foods, Eastern Avenue, Southend
3pm to 4pm
Beecroft Art Gallery, Victoria Avenue, Southend
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Keep an eye on your Ford Fiesta
We continue to see an increase in people reporting their Ford Fiestas being stolen, in particular 2013-2017 models.
To help keep your vehicle safe, consider using extra security features such as a full round steering lock or on-board diagnostic (OBD) protection, which can help prevent thieves gaining access to your car.
If you see any suspicious behaviour, please report it to us. You can give us information by using our Digital 101 service on our website. If you see a crime happening, then call us on 999.
Our Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit work to tackle organised vehicle crime and last year recovered a record number of stolen vehicles. Every year the team are tracking down more stolen vehicles and building a bigger intelligence picture.
Be fraud smart
Auction and online marketplaces are a great way to get a good deal. While most items are genuine, as seen in the news this week criminals are known to use online marketplaces to offer high value items.
Stay safe, check the seller or buyer’s review history and feedback from other reviewers. Beware of accounts that may have been set up very recently with lots of favourable feedback that sounds similar.
Using a verified payment method to complete a purchase will help make getting a refund if needed easier. If a seller insists on receiving payments through a cash app or crypto currency this is a potential red flag to do some more research into the sale.
Join our team
Police staff jobs
Estates Programme Delivery Officer £24,921
Vehicle Technician £36,996
Geographical Facilities Assistant £23,121
Crime Scene Investigator £24,921
Public Protection Administrator £23,121
PNC Support Officer £23,121
Operational Lawyer £48,966
Forensic Support Officer £23,646
Kennel Assistant £22,101
Detention Officers £28,409 to £32,335
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
Robert Walsham
Robert Walsham served with Essex Police from 4 November 1989 having transferred from the Met Police where he had already served seven years. Rob was awarded three Chief Constables Commendations for his work with the community in West Clacton. On 29 January 2008, Bob was travelling to work on his motor cycle when a car pulled out into his path, knocking him off and killing him instantly.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.
Obituaries
George Campbell
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague George Campbell who retired as a sergeant in 1994 and served with the Southend Borough, Grays and Headquarters in Chelmsford.
He passed away on the 28 December 2023 aged 80 years.