Essex Police Dispatch - issue 164
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 12 August to 18 August
Clacton: First Live Facial Recognition deployment at Airshow
“Live Facial Recognition is an investment in our communities and will help keep people safe”.
We trialled the technology in October last year, borrowing equipment from South Wales Police.
Across two days – one where it was deployed in Southend and another where it was in Chelmsford – it resulted in five positive alerts and three arrests, including for rape and robbery.
Following this successful trial, we have now, supported by funding from the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner for Essex, purchased our own equipment and it will be first deployed at the Clacton Airshow on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 August.
We will be deploying elsewhere in the county in the future and will tell the public in a reasonable period before the deployment.
Economic Crime Unit secures compensation payment for victims of rogue traders
Victims who were de-frauded by two rogue traders will be paid back over £50,000 in compensation following a meticulous investigation by our Proceeds of Crime Team.
Jack Harbour, 32 of Wellstye Green, Basildon and William Eastwood, 33 of Chelmsford Road, Wickford were convicted of four counts of fraud by false representation in March 2023. The conviction followed an investigation into the pair targeting vulnerable and elderly people for substandard building work.
Essex Police’s Economic Crime Unit worked closely with Havering Trading Standards throughout the investigation which began in 2019.
Enquiries revealed that Harbour and Eastwood had conned four victims out of tens of thousands of pounds.
Following an assessment by a Trading Standards Assessor, it was revealed that the work carried out by the pair was over-charged and substandard.
After both men were arrested and charged, they pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud by false representation. On Monday, 20 March 2023, Eastwood was sentenced to three years and two months in prison. Harbour received a 14-month suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Following the conclusion of these proceedings, Financial Investigator Laura Mackenzie began an investigation to determine how much the pair had made from their criminal actions and attempt to confiscate this money.
Despite both men claiming that they had no assets, the investigation revealed that the available funds they had left from their criminal gains totalled £91,975.55.
A confiscation order to remove this money was applied for and ordered by the judge during a Proceeds of Crime Hearing at Basildon Crown Court on Wednesday, 14 August.
Jack Harbour must pay back £69,675.55 and William Eastwood must pay back £22,300. Both men have been given three months to pay back.
£54,171.45 will be paid back as direct compensation to the victims.
Tendring: Anti-social behaviour drops by almost half in two years
Incidents of anti-social behaviour have fallen by almost half in the Tendring district in the past two years.
Our officers work with Tendring District Council anti-social behaviour patrol officers and Tendring Community Safety Partnership to tackle anti-social behaviour across the district.
And this joint working has led to a 47.45% drop in anti-social behaviour in the 12 months to 31 July with 1,043 fewer offences recorded than during the 12 months to 31 July 2022.
Enjoy our coast and remember to comply with water byelaws and speed limits
We’ve seen a steady increase in the number of people heading to the Essex coast and getting out on to the water.
Our marine officers mount extra high-visibility patrols at water-based anti-social behaviour hotspots during the summer under the banner of Operation Wave-Breaker.
So you’ll see them around. They’re also one of our teams who’ll be keeping an eye out for you and helping to keep you safe at Clacton Airshow next Thursday and Friday 22 & 23 August.
Most visitors are respecting other water-users, local byelaws and speed limits.
But, sadly, we are continuing to receive reports of people ignoring speed limits on the River Blackwater and the River Colne, especially around the entrance to the harbour at West Mersea and Ray Creek at Point Clear.
Tougher laws on 'zombie knives' and machetes welcomed
A national surrender scheme has been launched by the Home Office ahead of a new law making it illegal to own or sell ‘zombie' knives and machetes.
Taking action to make our city safer for businesses, shoppers, residents and visitors
Our Business Crime Team was joined by staff from the East of England Co-op’s dedicated security team to focus on safer business action in Chelmsford city centre recently.
We have a good working relationship with the store chain, sharing intelligence and information to tackle offenders and reduce shoplifting and assaults on shop staff.
Together, our business crime officers and the security team talked to retail staff in stores across the city centre – starting with the Co-op’s new store at Chelmsford rail station – and offered practical advice on evidence-gathering, staff safety, store layout & security and crime prevention.
By producing evidence packs, collecting statements from store colleagues and completing all the relevant paperwork to hand over to us, East of England Co-op helps us to present strong cases at court.
And this has successfully helped to bring frequent offenders to justice in recent months.
Twenty-two arrests in two days as wanted suspects targeted
Officers arrested 22 people on Tuesday and Wednesday over two days last week.
Clacton - one man arrested after victim was dragged from their car and attacked. Another man arrested on suspicion of robbery.
Chelmsford - two teenage boys arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary.
South of county - one man arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual assault, administering a noxious substance and coercive and controlling behaviour.
11 weapons sweeps
100 speed checks - 148 vehicles stopped and 7 seized for no insurance.
7 public meetings attended
12 community events
Stansted: How Servator patrols are helping to keep the airport safe
Officers specially trained to spot the signs that people are planning criminal activity have been on patrol at Stansted Airport.
As part of the national Project Servator initiative, Stansted Community Policing Team have been working alongside our firearms and dog units to conduct unpredictable high visibility patrols at the main terminal building and in and around the airport’s bus and train stations.
The aim to is reassure the public, deter and disrupt criminal activity, and encourage the reporting of any suspicious or unusual activity.
Stansted is one of a number of high-footfall areas across the county where Servator patrols have taken place. The airport - used by 29 million passengers in the past 12 months to fly to more than 180 destinations - has its own police station and dedicated police team.
Meet the inspiring faces of Essex Police
Meet Lewis McGorrell and Lucy Clark, two dedicated Police Officers, alongside one of their trainers PC Grishm Patel who joined the force in 2019.
We sat down with Lewis, Lucy, and Grishm to find out what motivated them to become police officers, and about their journeys into Essex Police.
Museum open day
Join us at our museum in Springfield, Chelmsford, between 10am to 2pm on Saturday 31 August for an exciting insight into the history of policing in Essex.
Our theme this year is police vehicles.
Our expert historians will be on hand to talk about the vehicles our officers used to keep people in Essex safe and catch criminals. From 1840 to 2024.
Delve into our history and see the type of cars our officers used in the 1980s and 90s. We’ll of course have some of our modern vehicles for you to look around too, along with a Sherpa carrier –which is an armoured vehicle.
And if cars aren’t your thing, there’s plenty more for you to discover. With over 25,000 historical items in our collection, you can step inside our Victorian cell, look through a charge book from 1914 or even try on some real police uniform. There really is something for everyone.
Entry is free and we’ll have some of our police officers, Special Constables, staff and Cadets on hand for a chat too.
We hope to see you there!
Braintree: Town centre retailers trial TownLink radio
A radio information-sharing scheme to help retailers combat shoplifting has been expanded into Braintree town centre.
TownLink radio has been operating in George Yard since 2019 and now the shopping centre, working with our Business Crime Team, has extended the scheme for a three-month trial to other businesses in the surrounding town centre.
Colchester: serial shoplifter jailed for defying shops ban
A serial shoplifter was jailed on his birthday for 16 months after breaching a criminal behaviour order eight times in a fortnight.
Jason Glasgow spent his 36th birthday in Ipswich Crown Court, having previously admitted breaching a criminal behaviour order (CBO) eight times between 27 May and 9 June 2024, including four times on 2 June 2024.
He also admitted committing eight thefts from two Colchester Co-op stores in Hawthorne Avenue, Greenstead, and Wimpole Road.
He was spotted and arrested by an officer from Colchester Local Policing Team just half an hour after a theft was reported by the Wimpole Road Co-op on 9 June 2024.
Glasgow was out of prison on licence at the time after having been jailed in April 2024 for 12 weeks and banned from all Co-op stores in Essex for three years under the terms of a court-imposed criminal behaviour order.
Then, he had admitted to committing nine shop thefts, involving £400 of food and drink, in less than a month.
On 8 August 2024, Glasgow was jailed for 16 months for the CBO breaches and for six months, to run concurrently, for the shop thefts.
The court heard that Glasgow had stolen more than £600 of meat, fish, coffee, laundry detergent and air fresheners from the two shops,
Southend: Drug dealer caught returning from holiday
A drug dealer who thought he could use his profits to live beyond his means instead returned from a lavish holiday to be greeted by our officers at the airport.
Shazad Miah, 30, took thousands of pounds in ill-gotten gains by running a drug line supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Southend.
Our specialist Operation Raptor team conducted a forensic investigation into the ‘Frankie’ drug line, which used 10 different mobile numbers to send out messages advertising the sale of Class A drugs.
Miah held the drug line phones across a period between February and June 2023, with up to five runners working under him on any given day.
During his time running the drug line, and without any other plausible source of income, Miah splashed out on four expensive holidays.
They were paid for from a business bank account and personal accounts, set up under a fake car hire business.
Using these accounts, he took in more than £30,000 in criminal profit.
The day before his arrest, Miah was sunning himself on a privately chartered boat in Turkey – sending on boastful pictures to one of his runners back in the UK.
Little did he know Operation Raptor detectives had long been building a case against him.
Our officers had even caught him on CCTV at a shop, a five-minute drive from his home address in Rochford, purchasing a sim card for one of the drug line phones.
Miah returned from Turkey to Luton Airport, carrying the ‘Frankie’ drug line phone with him, on 4 June 2023.
He was met by our officers, who promptly arrested him.
Simultaneously that same day, we executed a warrant at his home in Ashingdon Road, Rochford, seizing evidence including more than £3,000 cash from a safe found at the property.
We also found a passport belonging to one of his suspected runners stowed inside the safe.
Ten arrests as officers keep county safe this summer
We arrested 10 people across Essex while out patrolling your streets and travelling on your roads.
Among these were six made by our Operational Support Group, including three in connection with the attempted theft of a car.
Basildon - arrested three men for car theft
Witham - arrested a man on suspicion of robbery an causing GBH
Harwich - arrested a man for breach of a retraining order, possession of an offensive weapon, assault, criminal damage, burglary and two counts of making threats to kill. A woman was also arrested in connection with this incident.
Canvey Island - arrested after failing to appear at court charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place.
Thurrock: Man jailed for 19 years for non-recent sexual abuse of a child
A man has been jailed for 19 years following a thorough investigation by our Child Abuse Investigation Team.
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 19 March
10am to 11am
Hullbridge Parish Council, 98 Ferry Road, Hullbridge, Hockley SS5 6EX
10:45am to 12pm
Henham Community Shop, High Street, Henham
11am to 1pm
The Coffee Post, 50 The Street, High Ongar, Ongar
Tuesday 20 August
10am to 3pm
Centre Place, 15 Prospect Close, Southend on Sea
1pm to 2pm
Miracle House, Silver Island Way, Wickford, SS12 9NR
Wednesday 21 August
10am to 11am
Sainsbury's Cricketers Retail Park, Cricketers Way, Basildon
Thursday 22 August
9:30am to 10:30am
Mothers Kitchen, 6 Felmores End, Basildon SS13 1PN
11am to 12pm
Waitrose, 1241 London Road, Leigh on Sea
Friday 23 August
10am to 12pm
Co-op Food, 45 Spa Road, Hockley SS5 4BE
10am to 11am
Alton Garden Centre, Arterial Road, SS12 9JG
Saturday 24 August
10am to 11am
M&S Food, Unit 1, Brook Park West, T Grove, Clacton on Sea.
10:30am to 11:30am
Saint Peter And St. Paul, Orsett Road, Horndon on The Hill
11am to 12pm
Great Tarpots library, 127 London Road, South Benfleet, Benfleet
Sunday 25 August
10am to 11am
Morrisons Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton.
2pm to 3pm
Orleto Lounge 2 East Square, Basildon SS14 1HS
4pm to 5pm
Belfairs Woodland Centre, Eastwood Road North, Leigh on Sea
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Keep burglars out of your property
Burglars don’t want to be seen or heard by a neighbour or passer-by because they will feel exposed and identifiable.
Keep it visible
Don’t keep your property hidden from prying eyes behind overgrown bushes, trees, high fences or walls. In reality, all that this serves to do is make it easier for a burglar to get close to a home unnoticed, and provide somewhere to hide while carrying out a burglary or theft from the property.
Lower fences at the front around one-metre high are preferable to high fences as they allow for a clear view over the top and don’t provide cover for anyone wishing to hide.
At the rear and sides, taller fencing is recommended to prevent easy access.
Trellis, thorny plants, or a suitable anti-climb topping such as plastic spikes make it difficult for anyone climbing over a fence or gate.
Planting prickly or barbed shrubbery along boundaries and fence lines acts as an effective natural barrier.
Gravel driveways and paths will make sure you hear anyone approach.
Booking a holiday online?
Planning to book a holiday or maybe a short break away, remember to do your research. If something looks too good to be true it probably is.
Stay scam savvy by reading online reviews from reputable sources before making any bookings.
You can also confirm if an accommodation really exists by verifying the address through web searches and online maps.
Always check that travel company is a member of a trade body e.g., ATOL
Join our team
Police staff jobs
Clinical Governance Manager £53,265
Senior Architectural Building Surveyor £53,529
Project Manager Estate Services £41,928
Mechanical Engineer £48,966
Maintenance Co-ordinator £33,915
Electrical Design Engineer £48,966
Contact Centre Officers £24,921 to £27,351
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
George Thomas Brenchley
George Brenchley served with Southend Borough Constabulary from 1 April 1914. His service with the Borough Force was short-lived; with the outbreak of war in August 1914, George was soon mobilized and on August 5 re-joined the Grenadier Guards. Lance Sergeant George Brenchley was killed in action during the attack on 24 August 1918, he was twenty-six years old.
Cecil Pete Ernest Bearman
Cecil Bearman served with Essex County Constabulary from 1 March 1937. After training at Headquarters he saw service at Halstead and Colchester, before being stationed at Saffron Walden from 11 August 1913. On 24 May 1941 'Pete' became the first Essex police officer to join the RAF, and was then the first to obtain his wings and a commission following training in Canada and the USA. He was killed on Friday 25 August 1944, whilst serving as Flight Lieutenant 122343 and leading a flight of 131 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.