News 21 February to 27 February
FRONTLINE FOCUS - Colchester "C" shift Local Policing Team
These articles are designed to give you a general overview of what our response policing teams attend and deal with on a daily basis to see the wide range of activities they undertake.
This month the team have been assisting with night time economy patrols of the city centre, patrolling the alleyways and other parts of the city to check for people out and up to no good, or vulnerable people who are in these areas.
The team were also called out to a rural village in Colchester to help with some stray donkeys. (Unfortunately they didn't get a picture with the donkey).
Members of the team were also called across the Tendring border to assist with a mental health incident where a man was armed with a knife. Colchester officers managed to negotiate and deal with the situation and safely detain the man so he could get some help.
The team also investigated a couple who were responsible for a shoplifting spree valuing over £500. The couple were arrested, interviewed , charged and remanded to court by the team.
Officers also attended a fight in a pub outside of the city centre where an intoxicated man was threatening to stab people. The team attended and arrested a man. They then continued the investigation by taking statements and interviewing the man when he had sobered up. The officers charged the man with two counts of common assault, public order, possession of a bladed article, threats to kill and also threatening a person with a bladed article.
One of the team is a specialist trained search officer who was part of warrants executed across Colchester and Tendring whereby a significant amount of drugs were found.
A very short snap shot of the team's activity this month.
City centre team carry out vehicle checks
Officers carried out vehicle checks on North Station Road as part of action to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the city.
They pulled over drivers to check their details and look for any evidence of alcohol or drug use. They were joined in the area by Colchester City Council’s Neighbourhoods team, officers from Essex Fire and Rescue, and immigration officials who visited a property as part on an investigation into modern slavery.
Sgt Mark Thrower said: “As a team, we like to maintain a highly visible presence in the city. At the checkpoints we were looking for anyone committing driving offences or people who suddenly changed their behaviour and tried to avoid contact with us.
“We know the public find it reassuring to see us out on patrol and it was good to be joined by colleagues from the council and fire service. We have strong links with our local partners and we are working together to combat issues including anti-social behaviour to make sure residents feel safe.
“The public are very supportive and I’d continue to encourage anyone who witnesses criminal or anti-social behaviour in the city to report it to us. The more we know, the more we can do to tackle the issues that matter to the local community.”.
 Member of the public rescued
On Saturday, officers from our Local Policing Team were called to Mersea Island for reports of a man who had fallen into the water and been taken out by the tide.
A joint response from the coastguard, ambulance and police followed to help the man who had fallen from his boat and due to the current couldn't swim ashore.
A member of the public, on scene pretty much as it happened had jumped in and helped the man to shore where he was treated by emergency services.
The quick response by all parties involved meant the man could go home to his wife.
 Essex Police sexual abuse case featured in ITV documentary
Essex Police detectives lead to the conviction of child sex offender and former Colchester gymnastics instructor David Schadek. Their work was featured in this ITV1 documentary - Gymnastics: A Culture of Abuse
Man pleads guilty to two offences following large disruption on A12
Simon Graham, 55 of Hunting Gate, Colchester has pleaded guilty to two offences, following an incident which resulted in the A12 being closed for over five hours last October.
Officers were called to the A12, close to Junction 26 at around 11:15am on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 following the concern for safety of a man on a bridge.
The man had climbed onto the wrong side of the barrier and claimed that this was in an act of protest.
Our officers were supported by Essex Fire and Rescue service, Highways England and the ambulance service to attempt to bring the man to safety. The A12 had to be partially closed, causing huge disruption for road users. Whilst on the bridge, Graham sent multiple messages to friends including one which said “how bad is the traffic in town bud? Sorry for any loss of £££ you may be experiencing because of me.”
Following work from trained negotiators who attended the scene, Graham climbed over the right side of the barrier and the traffic could be relieved shortly before 5pm.
Graham was arrested and charged the following day with intentionally/recklessly causing a public nuisance and having an article with a blade or a point.
Man excluded from HMV, TK Maxx and Cash Converters stores nationwide
He was arrested by a Town Centre Team officer for shop theft an hour after being charged and bailed for similar offences.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Monday 4 March 10am to 11am
Coffee Hog 48A William Harris Way, Colchester
Tuesday 5 March 10:30am to 12pm
Highwoods Square, Highwoods, Colchester
Wednesday 6 March 10am to 11:30am
Wimpole Road Methodist Church, 49 Wimpole Road
Wednesday 6 March 10am to 11am
Lakelands Community Centre, 2 Western Approach, Stanway
Thursday 7 March 10:30am to 11:30am
One Colchester Hub, 4-6 Long Wyre Street
Thursday 7 March 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Tiptree Tea Room, Factory Hill, Tiptree, CO5 0RF
Monday 11 March 2pm to 4pm
63 North Hill, Colchester
 Protect yourself from mobile phone theft
Find out how to protect yourself from mobile phone theft.
- Don’t leave your phone, iPad, tablet or camera unattended, out of your sight, or left on a table. Thieves can grab a phone from a table in seconds.
- Be aware of your surroundings and only use your mobile when it feels safe to.
- When you’ve finished using it, put it away.
Be fraud smart
Dating and romance scams
Most UK dating websites and chatrooms are legitimate, but fraudsters have been known to use them to steal people’s money.
Dating and romance scammers lower their target’s defences by building an online relationship, then asking for larger and larger sums of money. Well-meaning men and women have both fallen victim to this. Find out more about dating and romance scams below.
What you should know
Be wary of giving out personal information on a website or chatroom.
Scammers will quickly contact you, often showing you glamorous photos of themselves and gaining your trust.
But how do you know the person you’re talking to (or their photo) is genuine? The answer is that you don’t. A scammer will make conversation more personal to get information out of you, but won’t tell you much about themselves that you can check or verify. They’ll normally steer you away from chatting on a legitimate dating site that staff could monitor. They want you to talk on email, text and phone, rather than through the dating site or chatroom where you met.
A scammer tells stories to target your emotions and get you to give them money. They may claim they have an ill relative or are stranded in a country they don’t want to be in.They may not ask you directly for money, hoping instead that you’ll offer it out of the goodness of your heart. You must not.
Never send money abroad to someone you’ve never met. Never send it to anyone you don’t actually know and trust.
Likewise, never agree to keep your online relationship a secret. This is a ploy to get you not to tell your family and friends, who’ll see the scam for exactly what it is.
Equally, don’t accept any offer of money. A scammer may ask you to accept money from them into your own bank account, using a convincing story as to why they can’t use their own account. The circumstances may seem genuine, but you could unwittingly be laundering money, a criminal offence.
 How do i find out about my local neighbourhood watch scheme?
The Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network (NHW) is the official national overarching body for all schemes within England & Wales, providing support for all NHW scheme members. You can enter your postcode on their website or use the button below for Colchester Neighbourhood watch to find your nearest scheme. You can also send your local scheme a message via the site.
If there is not a scheme in your local area and you want to set one up, please refer to the website for more details on this and other matters relating to Neighbourhood Watch.
Neighbourhood Watch schemes are very popular and many insurance companies offer a discount on home insurance if you are a member of a scheme.
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