Essex Police Dispatch - issue 150
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 6 May to 12 May
Chief Fire Officer recognises police couple’s brave rescue
Dog handler PC Dave Bridge and his wife Samantha, a criminal justice support officer, were awarded the commendations by Essex Chief Fire Officer Rick Hylton for helping to save the lives of two of their neighbours.
The couple were woken up during the early hours of 18 June 2023 to what sounded like an explosion as lightning struck their elderly neighbours’ home in Corringham.
Without hesitation, Dave and Samantha entered the fire- and smoke-filled bungalow to rescue their neighbours Barry and Margaret, plus their six dogs and their cat.
The fire took crews from Corringham, Orsett, Basildon and Grays two hours to extinguish.
Read Dave and Samantha's recollection of the night
Twenty-one arrests made and knife arches deployed across Essex
Another 21 people were arrested last Thursday 9 May as our officers continue to crack down on anti-social behaviour, dangerous driving and violent crime.
More than 400 officer hours went into this police work, which included city centre patrols with our community partners, weapons sweeps, enforcing Public Space Protection Orders, bike marking events, and static traffic stop sites to ensure drivers are following the rules of the road.
Among the arrests were a man breaching his court bail conditions in Southend, another man in Southend stopped and arrested on suspicion of drink driving, and a man wanted in connection with drugs offences in Chelmsford.
There were three arrests for outstanding shoplifters as well, with two arrested in the Epping Forest district and another in the Tendring district.
We stopped 207 vehicles as part of our roads policing, seizing 12 cars for driving without insurance and reported people for 40 traffic offence reports.
While sweeping public spaces we also found four weapons that have now been seized and will be destroyed. In Harlow, a 17-year-old has been charged with possession of a bladed article and two more people were found in possession of knives when they were stopped and searched.
Dozen arrested as officers target Essex roads to keep public safe
Twelve more people have been arrested across Essex, including two men now charged with robbery.
Almost 370 hours of police operations on Friday 10 May saw a dozen arrests – among them were a man arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in Southend as officers carried out a number of activities in the city and wider district.
Officers seized an electric bike and electric scooter which were breaching a Public Space Protection Order, spoke to members of the public on patrol throughout their evening, and carried out a knife sweep in Warrior Square which resulted in a weapon being found and seized.
Elsewhere, a man in Chelmsford was arrested by officers following a stop and search, and in the Tendring district officers located a second man who had a warrant for his arrest.
Uttlesford: Farmers given advanced DNA property protection kits
We’re supporting our farmers across the Uttlesford district by providing them with unique forensic property marking kits.
Uttlesford Community Policing Team has secured funding to offer DNA property marking kits free to all working farms across the district.
Sergeant Kev Mayle says 204 working farms were identified in Uttlesford during the Reach Our Rural Communities campaign launched by the Uttlesford Community Safety Partnership three years ago.
He says:
“Farmers and landowners can feel isolated and we seek to provide them with reassurance and crime prevention advice, and support victims of crime while our partner agencies tackle other issues arising from loneliness and isolation.
“So we jumped at the chance to obtain the SelectaDNA kits for our farmers to protect their valuable machinery and equipment from thieves.
“We know the financial and psychological effects that such thefts can have and the huge disruption the loss of agricultural machinery and vehicles can have on rural farms and businesses.
“Each kit includes a solution, containing a unique DNA code, and an identity number which, together, make marked property easily traceable back to its owner.
“It’s fairly simple to prove the items have been stolen, so they become too hot to handle, which can be an effective deterrent to thieves. And the evidence is indisputable in court.”
Twelve arrests made as part of proactive policing activity
Our officers facilitated 12 arrests on Wednesday, 8 May to tackle offences including drug dealing and vehicle offences.
The activity consisted of 370 hours of work resulting in two search warrants, weapons sweeps, 279 vehicle stops and eight uninsured vehicles being seized.
In Chelmsford, officers proactively stopped a vehicle and with support from a drugs sniffer dog, found large amounts of Class A and Class B drugs hidden in the air vents. A man was arrested for possession with intent to supply, driving other than in accordance with a license and driving without insurance.
Shoplifting siblings jailed for string of thefts
Often working in tandem with each other but sometimes alone, brothers Aaron and Gary Taylor mainly stole hand-held scanners, and a card reader, valued at more than £20,000 from stores in Corringham, Lakeside shopping centre, Chelmsford, Wickford and Bluewater shopping centre in Kent.
On 2 May 2024, Southend magistrates jailed each of the brothers, from Orchard Road, Burnham, for a total of 52 weeks and ordered them each to pay a £182 victim surcharge.
They each admitted a total of 14 counts of shop theft and, additionally, Gary Taylor, 25, admitted stealing a VW Passat in Stanford le Hope on 19 September 2022.
Stores targeted included the Co-op, Holland and Barrett, Hollywood Bowl, Superdrug, New Look, H&M and Tesco.
Southend: Shoplifter jailed and banned from five stores
Shoplifter Simon Price is now banned from multiple shops in Southend as he begins a prison sentence for more than a dozen offences.
Fourteen arrests across Essex as officers target violent crime
Officers in Waltham Abbey arrested a man wanted on recall to prison, and discovered what appeared to be an illegal Taser and 70 wraps of suspected Class A drugs in his address. A woman at the property was also arrested.
In Grays, officers arrested a man wanted in connection with a domestic violence incident as well as being on recall to prison. The man attempted to evade officers through nearby gardens before officers detained him in his address. Officers also located and arrested a second man wanted for breaching his bail conditions.
In Chelmsford a man wanted on recall to prison was arrested, and another man wanted on suspicion of assaulting a woman in the High Street was also arrested. Officers in the city also carried out a warrant at an address of a suspect wanted on suspicion of rape, who attended a police station for arrest later that day.
In Thurrock, officers also located a suspect who had failed to attend court, and a second person on suspicion of immigration offences.
Harwich: Three charged in ATM theft investigation
Charges have been secured against three people following an investigation into a series of burglaries in Tendring.
Our Serious and Organised Crime Unit launched enquiries into a number of home and business burglaries committed across the district between January and April this year.
This includes the theft of an ATM from a shop at Harwich Gateway Retail Park on 8 April.
Officers secure 91 shop theft charges in a week
In recent weeks, our officers secured 91 charges of shop theft against 22 people plus another four charges of assault against retail workers.
In the past four weeks, 117 arrests have been made for shop theft* across Essex. Between 1 January and 5 May 2024, that figure rises to 541.
In one case last week, two brothers from Burnham were jailed for a year each for a series of thefts from shops across the south of the county. They mainly took hand-held scanners, valued at more than £20,000, but also stole designer clothes, perfume and makeup.
Leigh: Man pleads guilty to murder
Kevin Shepherd of Whitehouse Meadows, Leigh-on-Sea, pleaded guilty to the murder of his sister, Sharon Butler, 64, when he appeared at Basildon Crown Court, ahead of a trial, on Tuesday 7 May.
The 55-year-old will now be sentenced at the same court on Monday, 13 May.
Last year, Kevin Shepherd called Essex Police’s Force Control Room shortly after 9pm on Tuesday 7 November, claiming he had fought with his sister and she was unconscious.
When officers arrived at Kevin Shepherd’s Whitehouse Meadows home, they found a seriously injured woman in the home’s garden, covered with a tarpaulin.
Officers found a knife in the front garden, stabbed into a plant pot.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics, Sharon Butler was declared dead at the scene and Kevin Shepherd was immediately arrested.
Southend: Specials "takeover" policing city, to keep you safe
Volunteer police officers led a “takeover” in Southend, tackling a variety of incidents, making a difference, and keeping you safe.
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex
Monday 13 May
10am to 11am
Walton Community Forum, High Street, Walton on Naze.
10:30am to 11:30am
The Orchards Cafe, Mascalls Way, Great Baddow, Chelmsford
11am to 12pm
Henham Community Shop, High Street, Henham
11am to 12pm
Costa Coffee, Highbridge Retail Park, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey EN9 1BY
Tuesday 14 May
10am to 11am
Costa Coffee, Kiosk, 14, Northlands Pavement Pitsea Centre, Pitsea, Basildon SS13 3DU
10:30am to 12pm
Witham Town Hall, Heritage Suite
3pm to 4pm
Co-op, Church Road, Stansted
Wednesday 15 May
10:30am to 11:30am
Manningtree Library, High Street, Manningtree.
11am to 12pm
Abercorn Plant & Garden Centre, Beehive Lane, Great Baddow, Chelmsford
Thursday 16 May
6pm to 7pm
Stansted Library, 72 Chapel Hill
Friday 17 May
10am to 11am
Oasis cafe, Orsett church centre, High Road
3:30pm to 4:30pm
Bulphan Village Hall, Church Road
3:30pm to 4:30pm
Bulphan Village hall, Church road
5pm to 6pm
McDonald's Unit 1, Williamsburg Avenue, Harwich.
Saturday 18 May
9:30am to 10:30am
Billericay Library 143 High Street, Billericay CM12 9AB
10am to 1pm
Takeley Community Cafe, Takeley
10am to 12pm
The McGrigor Hall, 85 Fourth Avenue, Frinton on Sea.
10am to 11am
Billericay Community Hub, High Street, Billericay CM12 9BQ
10:30am to 11:30am
Jaywick Library, Golf Green Road, Jaywick.
3pm to 4:30pm
The Pavilion, Great Waltham Recreation Ground CM3 1DF
Sunday 19 May
10am to 11am
Morrisons Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton.
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Keep your home safe from burglars
Burglars sometimes target windows as they can offer easier access than doors.
Check how your windows look from the outside, removing potential access points where you can.
Are there walls, bins or garden furniture that could be used to reach windows?
Be fraud smart
Scam alert!
Please be aware of anyone knocking on your door offering their services.
Do your research before signing up to anything and compare prices from different companies. Never feel pressured into deciding on the spot.
Get written quotes with the company details on, rogue traders can be more expensive and sometimes increase the price after the work has been carried out.
Join the Special Constabulary
My Other Life
Special Constables, are volunteer police officers. They have the same police powers, uniforms and equipment as regular police officers. But Special Constables give up their free time to help people and communities across Essex.
They don't get paid for their police work but they are reimbursed for expenses. This includes costs like travel.
Special Constables are given training and support to prepare them to become a volunteer police officer. They develop new skills, make friends and protect those who live in, work in, study in and visit Essex.
A Special Constable is an extraordinary person. A special kind of person.
Upcoming meetings to find out all about life as a Special
Tuesday 14 May from 6.30pm
Online meeting
Wednesday 19 June from 6.30pm
Online meeting
Wednesday 31 July from 6.30pm
Southend Police Station, Victoria Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6ES
Police staff jobs
Engineering Services Manager £53,529
Business Advisor £33,915
Financial Investigator £39,036
Scrutiny Officer £33,915
Business Service Assistant £23,121
Detention Officers £28,409 to £32,335
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
Obituaries
Roy Breaks
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague Roy Breakswho retired as a Detective Inspector in 1972 and served in Yorkshire and transferred to Essex where he served in Chelmsford.
He passed away on 16 April 2024 aged 98 years.