Essex Police Dispatch - issue 180
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 2 December to 8 December
County Lines: 28 arrested, drugs and cash seized in gangs crackdown
Twenty-eight people were arrested and drugs with a potential street value of more than £310,000 were seized during the latest County Lines Intensification Week.
Officers executed warrants across the county to take down line-holders, detain drug runners, and take Class A substances off the streets.
Warrants in Chelmsford and London led to five arrests following an investigation into a drugs line operating in Essex’s county town.
One of the individuals targeted jumped from a first-floor window in just his pants and vest in an attempt to escape. After giving false details in custody and refusing to have his fingerprints taken, officers quickly discovered he was wanted on a recall to prison, where he was returned.
The line phone, cash, two weapons and a substantial amount of heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of approximately £6,000 were also recovered. The four others arrested have been charged and remanded in custody.
Chelmsford: Murder investigation - search update
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Cumali Turhan in Chelmsford are now in a position to name a man who they have identified as a second suspect.
Ceyhan Dinler, 38, from Chelmsford, is wanted in connection with the disappearance of Cumali.
Cumali has not been heard from since just after midnight on Tuesday November 19.
The team leading the investigation can confirm that Ceyhan Dinler left the country via London Stansted Airport on the same day Cumali was last in contact with anyone.
This complex investigation is moving at a pace and officers are liaising with partners and the appropriate authorities as they look to locate Ceyhan Dinler as quickly as possible.
Alongside this strand of our investigation, we are continuing to piece together the circumstances around how Cumali came to be missing.
The 45-year-old was last seen in The Globe pub on Rainsford Road on Monday 18 November and we have information to suggest he may have later been in Barista in Duke Street.
Our forensics officers have been searching a number of locations around Duke Street and a refuse transfer site in the city. We continue our detailed and methodical search of part of a landfill site in Essex.
This painstaking and challenging activity started on Wednesday 27 November and focuses on a 5,000 square metres area of the site.
“My dad left home when I was 18 months old. Now I mentor boys without a father figure"
Sergeant Jamie Edwards grew up in a single-parent home after his dad left the family. Now a parent himself, Jamie volunteers to work with boys who have little or no contact with their fathers.
Jamie, who is part of our mental health partnership team, is a reading mentor with Lads Need Dads – an award-winning, community interest company whose programmes aim to help boys to reach their full potential, and support mothers and carers raising boys alone.
Reading mentors lead one-on-one sessions with boys during school time, sharing books and encouraging them to embrace reading, while developing emotional and communication skills.
The scheme has been widely praised by mums, teachers, and the boys themselves.
Jamie’s positive impact led to him winning the Millard Trophy for outstanding community work at the Essex Police Awards.
Lads Need Dads founder Sonia Shaljean said Jamie “had all the qualities and more” that she looks for in a mentor and joked she’d like to bottle Jamie and replicate him if she could.
Across the UK, 1.1m children are growing up without a father in their lives and 76% of the men in prison had an absent father.
Jamie was motivated to volunteer by his upbringing, and experiences as a custody sergeant where he regularly encountered men who lacked basic skills.
Celebrating Our volunteers for International Volunteers Day
International Volunteers Day is a special occasion to honour the incredible individuals who selflessly dedicate their time and energy to making a positive impact in our community. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our force, and their unwavering commitment deserves to be celebrated.
Volunteerism is more than just an act of kindness; it's a powerful force that brings people together to create meaningful change. Our volunteers come from different backgrounds, each bringing unique skills and perspectives and stories. Whether they are mentoring youth, organising community events, or providing support to those in need, their contributions are invaluable.
Jailed - Jan Vanderweiden
"Please trust our police - they did everything to get me justice"
These are the words of a woman after her sexual abuser was jailed for 15 years after admitting his crimes.
The survivor, who reported the offences to Essex Police in 2022, thanked officers who have helped and assisted with the case and said had been been nothing but supportive over the past two years.
On Thursday 28 November Jan Vanderweiden, 60, of no fixed address in the Castle Point district, appeared at Basildon Crown Court to be sentenced in connection with five counts of sexual activity with a child over a four-year period.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and five years on extended licence.
For the first offence he was sentenced to nine years in prison, with five years on extended licence. For the second offence he was jailed for six years to run consecutively. For the other three offences he was sentenced to five years on each, all to run concurrently with the other sentences.
He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a deprivation order was made in respect of his mobile phone.
Kieran Shepherd
Fourth man arrested in murder investigation
A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender as part of our ongoing investigation into the murder of Kieran Shepherd.
Officers attended a property in Stafford Green, Basildon, in the early hours of Tuesday 19 November and arrested the suspect at the address.
He was released on bail until 28 January 2025 pending further enquiries, and our investigation continues.
Three men – 20-year-old Joseph Dawe of Greenland Gardens in Great Baddow, 19-year-old Zack O’Keeffe of Stafford Green in Langdon Hills, Basildon, and 19-year-old Harrison Carpenter of Ben Wilson Link in Springfield, are charged with Kieran’s murder and remain remanded in custody ahead of their next court hearing on 6 January 2025.
Zero tolerance to drink driving as part of national campaign
Throughout December, Essex’s Roads Policing Unit officers will be conducting policing activities as part of a national crackdown on drink driving in which there will be zero tolerance in Essex.
As part of the month-long road safety campaign, we’ll be targeting those who drive under the influence of drink, to take drunk drivers off our roads and keep everyone safe. The same will be true of drug drivers.
From Sunday 1 December, we’re highlighting this force priority in a coordinated and dedicated approach to tackling this issue by working with partners in the Safer Essex Roads Partnership as part of a campaign which aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 9 December
9:30am to 11am
CVST, Harwich Hub, 276 High Street, Dovercourt.
10am to 11am
Vange Library, Southview Road, Basildon SS16 4ET
11am to 12pm
Henham Community Shop, High Street, Henham
11am to 12pm
Leigh Community Centre, Elm Road,Leigh
11am to 12:30pm
Unit 7, Building B Chesterwell Mews, Leda Way, Colchester
Tuesday 10 December
10am to 11am
Morrison's Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton.
10:30am to 12pm
Stambourne Chapel
11am to 12pm
Miracle House, Silver Island Way, Wickford, SS12 9NR
1pm to 2pm
The Three Pigeons, Halstead
1:30pm to 2:30pm
Rochford Banking hub, West Street, Rochford SS4 1AJ
3pm to 4:30pm
Witham Town Hall, Heritage Suite, Witham
10am to 11am
The Plaza Centre, Southchurch Road, Southend
10am to 11am
Canvey library 2 High Street, Canvey Island
10am to 11am
Costa Coffee 76/78 High Street, Billericay CM12 9BT
Wednesday 11 December
10am to 11am
M&S Food, Unit 1, Brook Park West, T Grove, Clacton on Sea.
10:30am to 11:30am
St Giles Church, Great Maplestead
11am to 12pm
Knightswick centre - Furtherwick Road Canvey Island
11am to 12pm
Tilbury Hub, Civic Square
10am to 11am
Canvey library 2 High Street, Canvey Island
10am to 11am
Ford Barns, Crown Lane, Clacton on Sea.
Thursday 12 December
10am to 2pm
Broomfield Hospital Atrium, Court Road, Broomfield, Chelmsford CM1 7ET
10:30am to 12pm
St Marys Church, Steeple Bumpstead
11am to 12pm
Towngate Theatre, St. Martins Square, Basildon SS14 1DL
11am to 12pm
The Brooklands Community Shop, 12 Brooklands Gardens, Jaywick.
2pm to 3pm
Village Hall, Water Lane, Radwinter
2pm to 3pm
Hadleigh library, 180 London Road Hadleigh, Benfleet
Friday 13 December
9:30am to 10:30am
Touchpoint, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted
10am to 11am
Walton Food Bank, Standley Road, Walton on Naze.
10am to 12pm
Pams Place, Vicarage Mead, Thaxted
11am to 12pm
Village Hall, Elmdon
11am to 12pm
Post Office, Hatfield Broad Oak
11:30am to 12:30pm
Friendship Friday, Homelands free church, Garden Road, Walton on Naze.
12pm to 1pm
Queens Hall, Halstead
3pm to 4pm
Costa Coffee, T Grove Brook Park West, Clacton on Sea.
3:30pm to 5pm
Connaught Avenue, Frinton on Sea.
4pm to 5pm
The Forum, Elmer Avenue, Southend
4pm to 5pm
Morrisons, 175 London Road, Hadleigh, Benfleet
Saturday 14 December
9am to 9:30am
Rickling and Quendon Village Hall, Cambridge Road
9am to 11am
Gunpowder Park Run, Gunpowder Park, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey
9:30am to 1pm
Roydon Village Market, Roydon Village Hall, Harlow Road, Roydon
10am to 10:15am
High Street, Newport
11am to 12pm
Co-op, White Street, Great Dunmow
11:30am to 12pm
Debden Village Hall, Mill Road
12pm to 1pm
Home Bargains Airport Retail Park, Rochford Rd, Rochford, SS2 6FW
1pm to 2pm
Miracle House, Silver Island Way, Wickford, SS12 9NR
2pm to 2:30pm
Town Street, Thaxted
3:30pm to 5pm
High Street, Walton on Naze.
3:30pm to 3:45pm
Village Hall, Great Easton
4pm to 5pm
Cliffs Pavilion, Station Road, Westcliff
4pm to 5pm
Sainsburys Rayleigh Weir - 21 Stadium Way, Benfleet
5pm to 6pm
Colne Engaine Village Green
6pm to 7pm
White Colne Village Green
Sunday 15 December
10am to 11am
Costa Coffee, 50 Pier Avenue, Clacton on Sea.
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Crime prevention
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
Gift cards are popular with criminals as they are more difficult to trace compared to bank transfers.
Criminals pose as organisations such as HMRC or the DVLA and invent a time-critical reason they need the gift card.
This can include claims that you need to pay a tax, fine, or a fee to win a prize.
Once you have bought the card and sent the voucher code to the fraudster, the money on the card is either spent straight away or the card is sold onto other criminals.
Take a moment to stop and think before spending your money.
Contact your bank if you think you might have been scammed.
Join our team
Police staff jobs
Vehicle Technician £38,754
Leadership and Development Trainer £32,244
Senior Network Engineer £40,170
Customer Contact Administrator £26,106 to £28,650
Business Services Assistant £24,219
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
William Arthur Goodrick
William served with the Royal West Kent Regiment before joining Essex Constabulary on April 1, 1912.
Although we can't be certain it is highly probable that William Goodrick, who died on December 12, 1914, was killed as a result of British artillery shells falling short and exploding in trenches held by the 1st Battalion Queen's Own. His body, if ever recovered, was not identified and he is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.