Essex Police Dispatch - issue 187
Essex Police Weekly Update
News 20 January to 26 January
Canvey: Four charged after co-ordinated drug warrants
Four men have been charged as part of an ongoing investigation into a network involved in the widescale supply of cocaine and cannabis.
These charges arose out of the ongoing work of Operation Falcon, which has seen a dedicated team targeting the organised crime groups and drug dealers fuelling wider violence across the Castle Point district.
The team has been building a case against a drugs line involved in supplying the Class A and B substances in Canvey Island since at least 2019.
Colchester: Sex offender jailed after repeated breaches of court order
Officers who monitor the risk posed by sex offenders secured a prison sentence for a man who repeatedly breached a court order and attempted to engage a child in sexually charged conversations.
Read more
Wickford: Stolen vehicles recovered in strike on 'chop shop'
Stolen vehicles were recovered after officers investigating the theft of a car cut their way into a ‘chop shop’ in a well-timed strike.
Basildon’s Community Policing Team traced a stolen BMW to a storage yard in the Wickford area on Thursday 23 January.
After securing an emergency warrant, officers entered the site that evening.
The BMW was recovered alongside a van, also believed to be stolen.
Equipment and items indicative of vehicles being taken apart were also recovered.
Harlow: Two arrests as handgun seized alongside drugs and cash
Two men have been charged with drug supply offences after officers seized a blank-firing handgun, cocaine, cash and cannabis.
On Wednesday 22 January, our Operation Raptor team worked alongside Harlow Local Policing Team to respond to reports of a firearm being seen in an address in Harlow.
After officers arrived, a man attempted to flee the scene in a vehicle.
Two officers gave chase, stopped the car and searched the driver. This uncovered 28 bags of cocaine.
A search of the address recovered the handgun, further bags of cocaine, a four-figure sum of cash and a large quantity of cannabis.
Tilbury: Man charged after report of attempted arson
A man was swiftly arrested and charges have been secured after multiple emergency services responded to an incident in Tilbury.
Officers responded shortly after 5pm on Thursday 23 January, when we received reports of a man pouring petrol inside an address in Gaylor Road.
It was reported a threat was made to set fire to the property.
Members of the public intervened and our officers were on the scene within minutes, making an arrest.
Thankfully, no injuries were suffered.
Latest conviction for disruption takes total to 199
In 2022, we experienced a number of incidents of disruption in Essex which were carried out by a group of people focused on the Thurrock area of the county.
Dr Patrick Hart of Lodway Road, Bristol who was found guilty of causing criminal damage to 16 fuel pump display screens at a fuel station forecourt in Arterial Road, West Thurrock.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison when he appeared at the same court on 7 January. He must serve six months in prison and will be subject to monitoring upon his release. He also received a civil conviction for criminal damage.
A second man involved in damaging the forecourt had previously admitted criminal damage and was sentenced last year.
Maldon: Three charged following drugs warrants
Three men have been charged after specialist officers executed a series of co-ordinated warrants as part of an investigation into the sale of Class A drugs.
Warrants were carried out at addresses in the Maldon and Barking areas shortly after 5.30am on Thursday 23 January.
During searches of the properties officers seized tens of thousands of pounds in cash, suspected Class A and Class B drugs and three vehicles, one of which we believe had been stolen.
Three men were arrested and they have now been charged.
Brentwood: Man arrested on suspicion of fraud
A man has been arrested as part of a fraud investigation in Brentwood.
On 16 January it was reported that iPhones were delivered to an address in Whitby Avenue before a man claiming to be a delivery driver knocked on the door stating they had been delivered in error and tried to take the phones.
A similar incident had taken place the previous day.
Following the report on 16 January, officers attended the area and arrested a 43 year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation, driving without a licence, driving without insurance, and possession of cannabis.
He has since been released on bail until 14 April.
Four charged in burglary and vehicle theft investigation
Four men have been charged in our investigation into a series of burglary and vehicle thefts across parts of south Essex.
On Monday 20 January, four people were arrested in Benfleet during an early morning strike on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.
The offences took place across Castle Point, Rochford and Basildon in late 2024 and early 2025.
In total, we identified more than 23 offences, including the theft of vehicles worth £500,000.
Harlow: Teenager charged with attempted murder
A teenager has been charged with attempted murder and kidnap after two incidents in Harlow town centre on Tuesday 7 January.
A teenage boy was reported to have been forced into a vehicle on Terminus Street at around 2.15pm. And at around 4.20pm the same day, a man in his 30s was found with life-threatening injuries in Staple Tye Shopping Centre.
A 16-year-old from Harlow has been charged with with attempted murder, kidnap, possession of a bladed article, and assault by beating.
Three more teenagers were arrested in connection and have been released on police bail while enquiries continue.
Waltham Abbey: Two charged after armed incident
Two people have been charged in connection with an armed incident in Waltham Abbey.
Officers were called to Howard Close shortly before 3.30pm on Sunday 24 November after a man had sustained a serious leg injury, which was caused by a gunshot.
Initially, his injury was treated as life-threatening. Thankfully, he has been recovering from the injury.
Two people were arrested as part of their investigation on Tuesday 21 January.
Two people have now been charged.
These charges come in addition to a 30-year-old man from Enfield having been charged with attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. His case is progressing through the court system.
Basildon: Proactive patrol results in drugs charges
Two men have been charged with drug dealing offences and remanded in prison following quick work by officers on patrol.
On Tuesday 14 January officers were on patrol in Basildon when they spotted two men emerging from an alleyway together.
After the officers approached the pair, one of the men proceeded to flee and was seen to discard a bag.
He was swiftly detained.
Following a search, the officers seized a mobile phone and suspected heroin.
Further searches at an address in Basildon uncovered a large bundle of suspected crack cocaine and heroin.
Southend: Work by specialist team shuts down two drug lines
Officers who shut down two drug lines operating in Southend have seen the dealer at the top of the chain jailed for more than seven years.
Operation Raptor, our team dedicated to tackling county lines gangs, identified the ‘Ace’ and ‘Max’ drug lines operating between August and November 2023.
Enoch Odubanjo, 26, of Egmont Street, London, was identified as the man behind each of the drug lines.
Odubanjo was found to have exploited vulnerable people to run drugs for him.
Hadleigh: Drink driver jailed for 30 months
A driver has been jailed for 30 months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and drink driving
Sean Kirkham was driving a BMW when it collided with a car on the A128 towards Hadleigh and two cars on the A13, Hadleigh, causing a women in her 20s and her young child to be taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Having admitted to dangerous driving and drink driving, the 28-year-old of Longtown Road, Brampton, Cumbria, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Monday 14 January at Basildon Crown Court.
He was also banned from driving for 39 months, ordered to pay £4000 in compensation in addition to court costs and will be required to re-sit his driving test.
Southend: Man arrested following fatal collision
A man has been arrested after a 22-year-old man died in a collision on Maplin Way North, Southend on Saturday 18 January.
A 21-year-old man from Shoebury was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
He has been released under investigation. Our investigation into the collision is ongoing.
Road Crime Team arrest 10 for drink and drug driving
Our Road Crime Team (RCT) arrested 14 people while on patrol on Saturday 18 January – 10 of them for driving under the influence.
The dedicated officers continue to identify those unfit to drive through drink or drugs following a successful campaign to take dangerous drivers off our roads in December 2024.
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 27 January
11am to 12pm
Village Shop, Hatfield Broad Oak
11am to 12:30pm
Sainsburys, 51 William Hunter Way, Brentwood
3pm to 4pm
Costa Coffee, Clacton Common Factory Shopping Village, Stephenson Road W,Clacton on Sea.
Tuesday 28 January
7am to 9am
Rochford Train Station, West Street, Rochford SS4 1AU
10am to 11am
Priors Hall Farm, Lindsell
10:30am to 11:30am
Rochford Banking hub, West Street, Rochford SS4 1AJ
11am to 12pm
Canfield Coffee Pot, Little Canfield
1pm to 2pm
Curzon Cinema, Queen Street, Colchester
2pm to 3pm
Stebbing Community Shop, High Street
3pm to 4pm
Havens, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
4pm to 6pm
The Storehouse, Coleman Street, Southend
Wednesday 29 January
10am to 2pm
Safe to go Stow Hub, 28 The Stow, Harlow, Essex
10am to 11am
Vicarage Mead, Thaxted
10:30am to 11:30am
Chelmsford Library Chelmsford County Hall, Market Rd, Chelmsford
10:30am to 11:30am
Salcott - Cum- Virley, Colchester
10:30am to 11:30am
Vicarage Mead, Thaxted
2:30pm to 3:30pm
John Dane Player Court, East Street, Saffron Walden
Thursday 30 January
8:30am to 9:30am
Brentwood Train Station, Warley, Brentwood
9:30am to 11am
CVST Harwich Hub, 276 High Street, Dovercourt
5pm to 6pm
Starbucks, Sheepen Road, Colchester
Friday 31 January
7am to 9am
Hockley Train Station, Station Road, Hockley Essex SS6 7HJ
10am to 11am
Harwich Market, High Street, Dovercourt.
10am to 12pm
Co-op Food, 45 Spa Rd, Hockley SS5 4BE
11am to 12pm
IG9 Brunch & Cafe, 4 Lower Queen's Rd, Buckhurst Hill
12pm to 1pm
Sainsburys, Cricketers Retail Park, Cricketers Wy., Basildon
12pm to 1pm
IKEA Lakeside (Customer restaurant), Heron Way, Essex
4pm to 5pm
Rayleigh Train Station, Station Road Rayleigh Essex SS6 7HJ
Saturday 1 February
9am to 10am
Chelmsford Park Run, Central Park, Chelmsford
10am to 11am
Manningtree Market, Market Place, Manningtree
4pm to 5pm
Co-op, Flitch Green
Sunday 2 February
10am to 12pm
Join local PCSO for a walk & talk starting at Walton Pier along the promenade into Connaught Avenue, Frinton on Sea.
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Secure your letterbox
Burglars are often opportunistic thieves who target houses and flats, looking for any opening they can exploit.
If your door has a letterbox, fitting a guard to the rear of the door can prevent someone from reaching in with a stick and hook to fish for nearby items like handbags or keys.
Be fraud smart
What is spear-phishing?
Spear-phishing is a fraud method used by criminals who gather information about you to personalize their scam emails or text messages, making them more convincing. They use information you've shared on different social media platforms to build a picture of who you are.
Tips to stay safe:
Check your audience: When sharing online, always check who can see your posts.
Be cautious with personal data: Do not enter personal data on websites you do not know or trust.
Stay safe and remember if you are unsure to ask yourself -
‘Is there any way someone I don't know could have found this out?’
Join our team
Police staff jobs
Senior Software Developer £40,170
Digital Forensic Technician £29,634
Tenprint Identification Officer £26,106
Service Desk Analyst £29,634
EUC Field Operations Engineer £29,634
Senior Applications Engineer £40,170
PA to the PFCC and Deputy PFCC £32,244
CCTV Evidence Officer £32,244
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
Obituaries
James Rodgers
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague James Rodgers who retired as a Sergeant 1988 and served with the Southend Borough, Westcliff, Leigh on Sea and as Branch Board Secretary of the Federation Office at Headquarters. He passed away on 7 January 2025 aged 91 years.
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.
