 Community Polcing Team Inspector Jenna Mirrington- French
Welcome from Community Policing team Inspector Mirrington-French
Community Policing Team - Inspectors Blog
It was national hate crime week last week so we were involved in a number of engagements and initiatives across the city and wider district sharing crime prevention advice and education. We have a number of hate crime reporting centres as well as many trained professionals in identifying and supporting victims of hate crime. You can follow this link to report hate crime or find out more information How to report hate crime | Essex Police If you have been a victim of crime then you can follow this link to access support via the victim support services My Support Space MOJ
We arrested 3 wanted persons in the city centre earlier in the week and this was thanks to our eagle eyed PCSO’s who were out on patrol in the city centre. One of these arrested persons was wanted on recall to prison so they shall not be causing our community any more harm for the time being. Another of these persons was charged and remanded for multiple offences and put before the next available court. We have also arrested, charged and remanded a shoplifter who breached their bail conditions having already been arrested and bailed for similar offences during the week.
We continue to complete hi-visibility patrols in the city centre and challenge those in breach of the public space protection order. We completed 168 hours of hi-visibility patrols and dispersed 6 people in breach of the PSPO. We have also completed 12 stop and searches and seized suspected stolen items and controlled substances from people we have searched. We worked alongside our policing colleagues in the Operation Support Group and completed an operation servator deployment which focuses on high visibility patrolling alongside specially trained officers who can spot those individuals who may be involved in crime. We complete these operations on a regular basis and at different times and days so that we can build up a local intelligence picture and disrupt criminality.
We have also been involved in a number of school visits this week to engage with young people and break down barriers between the police and local communities. PCSO Compton visited Gosbecks Primary school and the children were able to try on some of our police uniform. If you would like one of our PCSO’s to visit your primary school or community engagement then please get in touch and contact us on colchestercommunitypolicingteam@essex.police.uk
PCSO March won an award at Lawrence Walker Awards for his community engagement work with a number of organisations in Colchester. I am extremely proud to be working on a team with such passionate and dedicated officers, who do everything they can to support local communities and keep people safe. I will end this week on this positive note and wish everyone a safe week.
There is so much going on that I cannot cover everything in my blog, but I hope that this gives an understanding and flavour as to what the team have been doing. If you want more information about anything in this blog or want to get in touch about an initiative or something else then please write to us at colchestercommunitypolicingteam@essex.police.uk
If you want to read more about what is happening locally then please sign up to our new digital newsletter called Dispatch by following this link Dispatch newsletter | Essex Police
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Inspector Mirrington-French
News 18 October to 25 October
Man arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences
The vehicle was stopped during checks on Station Road in Colchester earlier this morning (22 October). After searches of the car, officers located a large amount of white powder and suspected class B drugs.
 Colchester City Centre Team have been carrying out Operation Makesafe in the city centre over the weekend.
Operation Makesafe is designed to ensure local businesses carry out the necessary checks to ensure young people are kept safe while using the City Centre.
The operation includes test purchasing of vapes and alcohol in off licenses and also includes checks with hotels around safety of women and young girls in their hotels. Pubs were also tested around there reactions to “Ask Angela” which is a scheme that has been implemented across licensed premises in Colchester and training given by Colchester Business Improvement District to ensure people can discretely ask for help in uncomfortable situations.
Of all premises tested in the city only two locations sold alcohol and only one sold vapes. These shops will be referred to both council and police licensing for education and enforcement.
The city centre team take vulnerability to all people seriously and continue to employ various methods to maintain a safe city for members of the public.
Even while on this operation two plain clothed officers completed a number of stop and searches, seizing class B drugs and dealing with those offences identified.
To read more about operation makesafe click the link below.
Cracking down on shop theft
A man has been jailed for 26 weeks following an investigation by the Local Policing Team into shop thefts around Colchester.
Mitchell Buttfield, 37, of Colchester, Essex appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates court on 14th October 2023 to answer 12 charges of Theft from shop which occurred in the Colchester area between the end of July 2023 and early October 2023.
Buttfield was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment for his involvement in the thefts and ordered to pay compensation of over £425.
Also this week officers were called to reports of a shop theft yesterday afternoon and after attending the incident officers arrested a 14 year old girl who was charged with 4 counts of theft and one common assault and has been bailed to attend court.
Read more about our efforts to reduce shop thefts.
Halloween
 This Halloween we would like to remind everyone to think of others and be considerate around those not taking part in Halloween. We will take a robust approach to anyone causing problems.
What might seem like being fun and mischievous to some can be really quite frightening to others.
Playing practical jokes on neighbours you don’t know or throwing things at their houses because they’re not taking part in trick or treat is unacceptable.
Click Read more for activities to keep children entertained and posters to put up for Halloween.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Thursday 26 October – 10:30am - 11:30am –
Lets Talk - University of Essex, Square 3, Zest.
Friday 27 October - 10:00am - 11:00am -
Lets Talk - Coffee with a cop - Langham Community Centre
Saturday 28 October
9am - 12pm - FREE Bike Marking - Starbucks, Colchester Retails Park, Sheepen Road
10am – 12 pm - Lets Talk, Meet your local PCSO - Popular Nurseries, Marks Tey
1pm - 4pm - FREE Bike Marking - The BID, Portal Precinct, CO1 1JJ
Wednesday 1st November
10am - 11am - Lets Talk, Coffee with a cop - Lakelands Community Centre
10am - 11am - Lets Talk, Coffee with a cop - St. Mary The Virgin Parish Church, Layer Breton Hill, Colchester, England, CO2 0PP
10am-11am - Lets Talk, Coffee with a cop - Wimpole Road Church, 49 Wimpole Road, Colchester, Essex, CO1 2DL
 Use lighting to deter thieves.
Lighting is a good deterrent and is recommended at doors as it makes it safer for you when coming and going after dark.
A clear, low white light that activates at dusk to dawn is ideal for lighting a yard and garden and allowing any person to be clearly seen.
Check to make sure that trees and plants do not obscure your lighting. It’s recommended that you regularly cut vegetation back.
Take care to position these lights so that light pollution doesn’t annoy your neighbours.
Be fraud smart
Reusing the same password means criminals only need to steal one of your passwords in order to get into many of your accounts.
Help keep your digital life secure by using different passwords & making sure they are as unique as you are.
The weirder it is the harder it will be to crack
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