Essex Police Dispatch - issue 178
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 18 November to 24 November
46 new recruits join Essex Police
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington QPM welcomed 46 new police officers into the Essex Police family at a passing out parade at force HQ in Chelmsford.
The new officers made their policing pledge at Essex Police Headquarters on Friday 22 November, and will carry on the hard work of the force driving down crime in the county.
Missing man Cumali Turhan
Chelmsford: Murder investigation launched and man arrested
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Cumali Turhan in Chelmsford are now able to confirm a second person has been identified as a suspect.
On Saturday 23 November, 44-year-old Ciprian Ilie appeared in court charged with assisting an offender (murder) and preventing lawful and decent burial of a dead body.
He was remanded into custody to next appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on December 23.
We’re now able to confirm that as a result of the work carried by our investigators a second man has been identified as a suspect and work is ongoing to locate him.
We know that Cumali was last seen in Chelmsford in the early hours of Tuesday 19 November. This man left the country later that day.
At this stage, we’re working with a number of partners in relation to his location.
Why hotspot policing and partnership working are key to combatting ASB in Essex
Hotspot policing and strong partnerships between the public services have been crucial in driving down incidents of anti-social behaviour (ASB) in Essex say Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst and Deputy Chief Constable Andy Prophet – the national lead for ASB.
Anti-social behaviour has fallen by 65% across Essex in the past five years, with the police working alongside local councils, the fire service, the NHS, the Probation Service and charities as part of community safety partnerships to reduce offending and tackle the underlying causes.
In October, the PFCC revealed that a further £1.6m had been secured to combat ASB in 15 areas of Essex, known as Operation Dial. The first phase of operation led to 101 arrests and the issuing of 112 fixed penalty notices across 13 zones.
How we’re protecting Essex’s heritage sites from crime and ASB
Essex’s castles, cathedrals, parks and stately homes attract thousands of visitors a year but unfortunately their accessibility and secluded locations can make them targets for criminals or people behaving anti-socially.
Preserving these sites helps us understand the historic significance of our county and learn about the lives of those who lived here before us.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan is the national lead for heritage crime, and she says it is “essential” to protect Essex’s “priceless and irreplaceable cultural assets”.
Crime and anti-social behaviour at heritage sites can take many forms, from vandalism and the theft of artefacts from churches through to hare coursing and illegal metal detecting.
People have even been known to dig trenches at historic sites in the hope of finding valuable items dating back centuries.
In Essex, we have a dedicated heritage crime officer, PC Jed Raven of our Rural Engagement Team, who patrols at these landmarks and investigates any offending.
Castle Park in Colchester and Southchurch Hall Gardens in Southend are two of his patrolling hotspots, with a regular police presence helping to deal with issues including drug taking, drinking, graffiti, and arson.
Operation Drive Insured sees 130 uninsured vehicles seized
Between 11 and 17 November, our Roads Policing Unit officers supported Operation Drive Insured, a national campaign to target uninsured driving through policing activities focussing on detecting and seizing uninsured vehicles using roads in Essex.
As part of our continued commitment to road safety, we worked alongside our partners MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) who led the week-long campaign to get uninsured drivers off our roads. MIB supported operational activity via its enforcement services and running a public awareness campaign throughout the week.
In just seven days, a total of 130 uninsured cars, vans and motorcycles, were seized as part of enforcement work.
Loughton: School Speedwatch pupils stop 19 speeding drivers
Thanks to the pupils from Alderton Junior School, Loughton, our Roads Policing Unit officers stopped 19 drivers who were speeding in the vicinity of their school, putting pupils at risk of their dangerous driving.
The pupils were taking part in School Speedwatch as part of their road safety awareness lessons, organised by Essex Highways, on Wednesday 20 November.
Working so effectively together, the year 6 pupils identified speeding motorists at their Oakwood Hill site and alerted the Roads Policing officers, who stopped speeding motorists taking part in the morning school run and workers on their commute.
500 arrests and 220 charges in a week
Between Monday 11 November and Monday 18 November, the force has made 506 arrests for all offences and secured 224 charges.
In that time, officers also attended nearly 3,800 incidents, and more than 1,600 of those were emergencies.
Seven arrests in cross-county Operation Claymore
We have arrested seven people and seized more than a dozen vehicles in a joint operation on Essex’s borders with London and Hertfordshire.
Operation Claymore is Essex Police-led but also involves officers from the Hertfordshire and Metropolitan police forces.
The cross-force team track down vehicles believed to be involved in crime using hits from automatic number plate recognition cameras, supported by officers from the Operational Support Group, our dog, roads, and community policing teams, as well as the National Police Air Service.
More than 50 officers across the three forces were involved in the operation overnight on Sunday 17 November, arresting three men on suspicion of possessing with intent to supply Class B drugs.
Marian Canuci
Purfleet: More than four years in prison for sexual assault
A man has been jailed for more than four years and added to the sex offenders register for life after a woman was attacked in Purfleet.
The victim was at the waterfront near London Road on 24 August 2024 when she turned and saw a man, now known to be 31-year-old Marian Canuci, running towards her wearing a balaclava before grabbing her and assaulting her.
What he did not see was the victim calling emergency services on her phone before members of the public heard the incident and he fled the scene.
The victim and multiple witnesses provided us with accounts, including a detailed description of Canuci, and our forensic investigators were able to trace blood left on the victim’s clothing back to him.
After six days of investigation Canuci, of Saladin Drive in Purfleet, was arrested and later charged with assault by penetration and sexual assault.
At Basildon Crown Court on 2 October he pleaded guilty to both charges, and returned to the same court on Wednesday 13 November where he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for the assault by penetration.
He was also sentenced to two years and 10 months in prion for sexual assault, running concurrently.
Canuci has also been added to the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting for 10 years.
He must also pay a victim surcharge of £228.
Debden: Joint patrols of ASB hotspot deter offending
Proactive patrols by police and council partners on Debden Broadway have contributed to a drop in anti-social behaviour across Epping Forest district.
In the past 12 months, incidents of anti-social behaviour have decreased by 7.7%, with 81 fewer offences reported. Since 2019, when there were 2,699 offences reported, ASB has dropped by 64%.
As part of Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week, officers from the Epping Community Safety Team were joined by Epping Forest District Council’s ASB officer, environmental enforcement officers and parking enforcement to patrol the Broadway and surrounding streets.
The Broadway is one of 15 hotspot areas across the county that received a share of a £1.6m investment by Essex’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to combat ASB.
Car crime continues to fall in Essex
As part of a dedicated response to vehicle theft focussing on organised crime, Essex Police have seen a reduction in thefts for the second time this year.
Figures show that in the three months to end of September, there has been a 2.7% reduction in reported vehicle thefts over the last 12 months, compared to the same period last year: that’s 159 less victims of crime.
This builds on the 8.8% reduction in vehicle thefts in the preceding three months.
Additionally, all vehicle crime has fallen 9.1% in the last 12 months, thanks to the work of our specialist Road Crime Team, Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit, Roads Policing Unit with support from teams across the force including the Dog Unit.
October saw the greatest monthly fall - a 14.3% decrease in reported car crime that month, compared to the same month last year.
And we’re solving more crimes too. October also saw 8% more vehicle theft crimes solved than October last year, achieved by identifying those responsible and bringing perpetrators before the courts.
Joint services exercise on Clacton Pier
Last week the Marine Unit took part in a training exercise alongside the HM Coastguard Rescue Team and Licenced Search Officers from Essex Police.
The scenario centred around a mock incident taking place on Clacton Pier, resulting in the need for the search and recovery of evidential items, locating a victim and providing first aid and the subsequent search and rescue of a person in the water near to the pier. This was a really good opportunity to test our interoperability in the event of a multi-agency incident such as this.
Read more about the Marine Unit
Mr and Mrs Lewis
Thank-you for over 700 Dispatch survey completions
Mr. Lewis from Chelmsford was the lucky winner of the multi-function emergency radio we gave away as part of our Dispatch survey a few weeks ago.
We had over 700 responses which gave us some great ideas for future issues so thank you to everyone who contributed. 93% of you thought that the length of Dispatch is just right with 7% saying it’s too short. You said stories about how Essex Police are tackling serious and organised crime, reducing violence and keeping the roads safe are your top topics and we now know that 85% of our subscribers are over 55 years old.
Here’s just one of the comments. We read them all and we’ll work hard in 2025 to ensure Dispatch delivers the stories and information you want.
"The weekly Dispatch news I receive is very important to me as it makes me feel safe when I know what the police are doing for my area as well as others. To know that criminals are being caught and sentenced leaves me satisfied that the hard work the police are putting in does make a difference."
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 25 November
11am to 12pm
Henham Community Shop High Street Henham
11am to 12pm
Costa Coffee, 2 Victoria Road, Buckhurst Hill
Tuesday 26 November
9am to 12pm
Rochford WI Hall, West Street, Rochford SS4 1BE
10am to 11am
Brambles Cafe, Quadrant Department Store, 220 Moulsham St, Chelmsford
10am to 12pm
Brentwood High Street,
10am to 4pm
Community in a cup, Maldon On Group Market Hill, Maldon.
10:30am to 12:30pm
Community 360 , Long Wyre street , Colchester
10:45am to 11:45am
Rochford Banking hub, West Street, Rochford SS4 1AJ
1pm to 2pm
Takeley Park, Station Road, Takeley
3pm to 4pm
Costa Coffee, Clacton Common Factory Shopping Village, Stephenson Road W, Clacton on Sea.
3pm to 4pm
Havens, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
Wednesday 27 November
9:30am to 12:30pm
Rayleigh Town Market, High St, Rayleigh SS6 7EA
10am to 12pm
Cosy Day, Heybridge Parish Council, Plantation Hall Colchester Road, Maldon, Essex, CM9 4AL
10am to 12pm
Farnham Coffee Morning, Farnham
10am to 11am
Dainteas Tea Room, Roding Hall, High Roding
10:30am to 11:30am
Chelmsford Library Chelmsford County Hall, Market Rd, Chelmsford
2pm to 3pm
Ockendon centre, Derry Avenue
Thursday 28 November
10:30am to 11:30am
Zest cafe, University of Essex
11am to 12pm
Wakey Wakey Cafe, 1472 London Road, Leigh on sea
11am to 11:30am
Kent Elms Library, 1 Rayleigh Road, Eastwood,
2:30pm to 3:30pm
Touchpoint, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted
3pm to 4pm
The Shorehouse, Ness Road, Southend
5pm to 8pm
Manningtree High Street
Friday 29 November
10am to 12pm
Walton Food Bank, Standley Road, Walton on Naze.
10am to 12pm
Co-op Food, 45 Spa Rd, Hockley SS5 4BE
10am to 11am
Dovercourt Market, High Street, Dovercourt.
12pm to 1pm
IKEA Lakeside (Customer restaurant), Heron Way, Essex
Saturday 30 November
9am to 10am
Maldon Parkrun, Maldon Promenade Park, Park Drive, Maldon, Essex.
10am to 11am
Manningtree Market, Market place, Manningtree.
11am to 12pm
IG9 Brunch and Café, 4 Lower Queen's Rd, Buckhurst Hill
2pm to 3pm
Belfairs Woodland Centre, Eastwood road north, Leigh on sea
10am to 11am
Morrison's Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton.
Sunday 1 December
10am to 11am
O/S Tiptree library Rectory Rd, Tiptree, Colchester
1pm to 6pm
Rochford Market Square, 22-24 West Street, Rochford SS4 1AL
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Crime prevention
With it getting darker earlier, whether on two legs or two wheels always make yourself visible to others this winter.
Here are some tips to help you stay safe while out cycling.
In addition to good road positioning, high visibility clothing will help drivers spot you, especially in low light conditions.
You must always use lights on your bike when cycling in the dark.
In the event of a collision, our crash data shows that wearing a cycle helmet will halve your risk of receiving a serious head injury.
Be fraud smart
When shopping online this Black Friday stay safe.
With lots of offers, deals and bargains being offered to us when online, it can sometimes be difficult to spot the difference between the fraudsters' fake sites from the real ones.
Our tops time to help are:
If you see an ad for something but are unsure if the site is real don’t click on the link. Instead search for the organisation and take some time to read the entries on the results page to check it is genuine – scroll a little
Use a credit card when making a purchase or a secure payment method as they are often additional protections.
If you think you have been a victim of fraud, tell your bank and report it as a crime.
BBC Scam Safe Week
BBC Scam Safe week started on Saturday 23 November and features content right across BBC TV, Radio, iPlayer, Sounds and Online.
New for 2024 is The Scam Safe Roadshow. It’s a collaboration between Morning Live and BBC Local Radio aiming to provide answers to audience members’ questions about scams they’ve seen or been caught out by.
Find out how to stay scam safe and what to do if you've been scammed. And take a look through the A-Z of scams which includes advice about scams relating to AI chatbots, call centres, doorstep, ghost brokers, number spoofing, QR codes, stolen phones, pets and online parcel deliveries.
Join our team
Police staff jobs
Customer Contact Administrators £26,106
Supplier Relationship Manager for ICT and Corporate £48,339
Business Services Assistant £24,219
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
Gordon Grieve Warner
Gordon Warner joined Essex County Constabulary on 27 March 1939, having previously been employed as a carriage cleaner by the London North Eastern Railway in Lowestoft.
After his initial period of service at Headquarters, Gordon was transferred to Chelmsford from 20 May 1939. On 11 August 1941 Gordon joined the R.A.F. and became one of several former Essex policemen who underwent training in the U.S.A.
He was killed on Wednesday, 25 November 1942 as a result of a flying accident in the U.S.A. whilst training.
Stapleton Hollett
Stapleton served with Essex County Constabulary from 15 Apr 1913. At the outbreak of war, in August 1914, Stapleton was recalled to the colours as Sergeant 14729. Stapleton Hollett died during the battle for Cambrai on 27 November 1917.
Harry Beresford Mann
Harry Mann served with Southend Borough Constabulary from 1 April, 1914. On 17 June 1910, he joined Reigate Borough Police serving in that force as Constable 12. On 20 November 1915, he applied for permission to join the Military Police for the duration of the war. Harry was recorded as missing presumed killed in action on 30 November.
Robert Bambrough
Robert Bambrough served with Essex County Constabulary from 21 August 1843. He was tasked with escorting 20-year-old William Wood from Billericay Magistrates Court to Brentwood. Wood had been sentenced to three months imprisonment for poaching. Following a fight with Wood, Robert died the following day on Friday 30 November 1850.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.