Life-saving bleed prevention kits rolled out across the force
Frontline officers are now equipped with specialist bleed prevention kits that will help them give injured people better emergency care.
Our officers are frequently first on the scene of accidents or incidents where a person may have suffered a laceration or wound that needs urgent medical attention.
The bleed kits - containing a trauma dressing, a chest seal, a pack bandage, a tourniquet, gloves, scissors, a foil blanket, and a mouthguard for giving CPR - give officers the tools they need to treat injuries and prevent people from entering hypovolemic shock or even dying from blood loss.
So far, there have been 278 kits issued to teams across the force, supplementing their existing first aid packs.
Inspector Emma Wells has been a response officer for 16 years, transferring to Essex Police in 2020 from Kent.
She says:
“Local policing teams are really important because generally they are always there first.
“Our local policing teams are the face of Essex Police. They are the officers most people interact with and they are out there all the time.
“They’re there first for people in mental health crisis, missing people and at critical incidents. They attend a wide range of incidents, from anti-social behaviour, particularly involving groups along the seafront, and even fires, which we see mainly in industrial units.
“They are so versatile and have a really broad range of policing knowledge, experience and communication skills.
“Response officers could be showing compassion to a family at a sudden death, at the most traumatic time for that family, and then they might be called to attend an incident of anti-social behaviour or reports of shoplifting.
“They can be dealing with people who are really vulnerable, elderly or young and, five minutes later, they could be facing someone threatening them with a knife.
“They are dealing with trauma every day so my job, and that of my sergeants is to make sure they are OK. I check my sergeants are OK and they check I’m OK.”
Boy arrested following support from off duty police officer
A 16-year-old boy is currently in custody in connection with an attempted murder in Shoebury in May.
Officers were called to Southend High Street at around 7pm on Friday, 28 June following reports of a fight involving a group of boys.
Prior to Essex Police arrival and following information that a boy in the group may be in possession of a knife, an off-duty Metropolitan Police Service Officer pursued the boy on foot and managed to detain the suspect.
When Essex Police officers arrived, the 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article and possession of a class B or C drug.
He was also arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, in connection with a serious assault Chapel Road in Shoebury on 19 May.
Searches in a nearby bin also resulted in a recovery of a knife.
Kai Hurst, Mohammed Fathi, Bailey Ruscoe and Peter Clegg
Total of 33 years for violent burglary gang
Work by our detectives has led to four men being jailed for a total of 33 years for a violent burglary in Loughton.
A group of men armed with knives and pepper spray forced their way into an address in Queens Road shortly before 6.25am on 21 July last year.
They had tried to get in through an open window and an occupant in the address tried to stop them, he was sprayed with the pepper spray. Hearing the commotion, another person inside the address went outside to try and get the group to leave but was chased and assaulted.
Witnesses saw the men leaving the area, running towards a dark grey Audi parked nearby and making off in it. CCTV footage shows the group arriving and leaving in that car.
Shortly before 9am the vehicle is stopped between junctions 15 and 16 on the M6 motorway. During a search of the vehicle a kitchen knife was found in the boot, and a lock knife underneath a rear passenger seat.
Four people inside the vehicle – Mohammed Fathi, 22, Bailey Ruscoe, 21, Peter Clegg, 20, and Kai Hurst, also 20 – were arrested.
Family of survivor of sexual abuse thank investigating officers
The family of a girl abused over a two-year period has thanked Essex Police after her abuser was jailed for 15 years.
Daniel O’Brien abused a girl over a two-year period between 2017 and 2019.
Our investigation began when the offences were reported to us in 2021.
Work by our specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team led to the 38 year-old being charged with three counts of rape, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of assault by penetration.
He was convicted on all counts in April this year following a trial at Basildon Crown Court.
At the same court on Thursday 27 June, O’Brien, of Kursaal Way, Southend, was jailed for a total of 15 years, given an extended licence of three years, and put on the sex offenders’ register for life.
He has also been made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life and given a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim and witnesses indefinitely.
A man has been found guilty of attempted murder after seriously assaulting a man with a meat cleaver in Chelmsford.
Chacko Abraham Thenakarayil, 71 of Hornbeam Gardens, Chelmsford appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on 26 June, where following a two week trial he was found guilty of attempted murder.
Thenakarayil was arrested on Saturday, 6 May 2023 after officers were called to Hornbeam Gardens at around 9pm following reports of a man being seriously assaulted.
Enquiries revealed that Thenakarayil had assaulted the victim inside an address by hitting him with a meat cleaver in the back of the head. Thenakarayil also attempted to stab the victim with a knife.
The victim managed to remove the weapons from Thenakarayil and run away to neighbours to call for help. When neighbours came to help, they found Thenakarayil in the street holding a third knife which they bravely removed from him.
The victim was taken to hospital after losing around 500ml of blood and sustaining a fracture to his skull.
Prior to being arrested, Thenakarayil implied that he intended to kill the victim, saying to witnesses “I’m not finished.”
Thenakarayil was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and charged the following day and remanded into custody.
Following a trial which started at Chelmsford Crown Court on 10 June, he was found guilty of attempted murder on Wednesday, 26 June.
He will appear at the same court on 16 July for sentencing.
Response officers praised by man rescued after mental health crisis
Two officers from Colchester Local Policing Team have been thanked by a man they saved after he attempted to take his own life.
PC Benjamin Clark and PC Jacob Parker found James* motionless in his car in a remote area at Abberton Reservoir following a search operation lasting several hours.
They feared they were too late, but James - who was injured and in urgent need of medical care - sat up and opened his door.
After gaining his trust, the officers administered first aid and then convinced James to let them drive him to hospital.
James’s mental health has improved significantly since the incident thanks to the support of his family and NHS specialists.
He was recently reunited with PC Clark and PC Parker and wrote to the force to express his gratitude.
Meet Inspector Rosie Emery. Find out why she enjoys working within our local policing teams and the additional skills she has gained since becoming a police officer.
Can you tell us about your current role and any other roles you’ve held?
"I am currently an Inspector on the Local Policing Team in the Chelmsford and Maldon District Policing Area. I have always been a front-line officer, and I believe it’s the best job in the force. I love the diversity of it. I could spend the morning shooing sheep off the A12 and my afternoon speaking to the victim of a domestic incident. You won’t find another job like it.
"I am also a single point of contact for officers on maternity leave within the force. I have had two babies whilst employed by Essex Police and I was promoted to Inspector whilst on maternity leave. Having been supported by my supervisors whilst I was pregnant, I wanted to pass on my experiences and ensure that others receive the same treatment. Being a working parent is tough, but the rewards are worth it."
Spotlighting the officers responding to your emergency calls
Last week, we celebrated the work of our local policing officers, who are the first officers you are likely to see at an incident.
Officers from our local policing teams are often the first police officers you will see if you are in crisis, if you are the victim of or a witness to a crime or if you are suspected of committing a crime.
They are also the officers who may, sadly, deliver bad news to you on what may turn out to be the worst day of your life.
From burglaries to domestic disputes, from concerns for safety to searching for high-risk missing people, from anti-social behaviour and criminal damage to assaults and dealing with the results of poor & dangerous driving - no two days are the same.
So our local policing officers have a wide range of general policing knowledge and expertise because of this variety. In fact, many of them say this is what attracts them to the job.
Meet PC Victoria Price, of Clacton Local Policing Team. She’s served with us since October 2021 and is our nomination for the national Response Officer of the Year award.
Victoria joined us from the Army, where she was a theatre nurse assisting with trauma surgery. And she’s certainly had the opportunity to practice those skills with us in the past two-and-a-half years.
In the past year, PC Victoria Price has saved lives, found missing people and made more than 100 arrests.
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
Make sure your vehicle is secure before walking away
We have recently seen an increase in reports of Ford Kugas and Ford Pumas being stolen, particularly in the south of the county.
It's likely that when owners go to lock their cars, thieves are using equipment which jams the signal and prevents owners from locking their cars.
Make sure you double check that your car is locked before walking away.
We also recommend car owners consider using additional physical security devices such as a Steering Wheel Lock, Driveway Security Bollard or On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) Port Lock, to help increase security.
Fraudsters use social media advertising to lure people into investing in cryptocurrency scams.
They often have convincing social media profiles or websites with bogus reviews; including photos of luxury items, such as expensive cars and watches, to entice you in.
Don't assume everything is real, if you’re thinking about making an investment, get independent advice and thoroughly research the company first.
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
George Calver Shipgood
George Shipgood served with Southend Borough Constabulary from 10 March 1915 and died on 3 July 1916. In December 1915 he enlisted to join the Rifle Brigade but later transferred to 9th Battalion Essex Regiment. The regiment formed part of the 35th Brigade of the 12th Eastern Division. On 2 July the division relieved the 8th Division in the line opposite Ovillers where heavy fighting had taken place the previous day. On 3 July the bombardment was renewed at 2.15am by the 12th Division but at 9am the division had to report that the attack had failed. Ovillers was finally taken on 17 July by which time the 12th division had suffered over 2,300 casualties.
Peter James Wringe
Peter Wringe was 23 when he joined Essex Police, and was posted to Southend where he is remembered as an officer with a keen sense of humour. He was always willing to do more than was expected of him.
With only six months' service he joined other members of his shift at a warehouse alarm in the early hours of July 4th 1982. The building appeared secure, but he knew that burglars had previously entered through the roof, so he climbed on to the single storey building to check. He fell thirty feet to the ground and died later in hospital.
Sydney Francis Crabb
Read about the career of Sydney Francis Crabb who served with Essex County Constabulary from 24 August 1914 and died on 7 July 1916.
We're offering more ways of reporting non-emergency crime and anti-social behaviour through the digital 101 service on our website.
You can also use the service to contact your local policing team, tell us about something you have seen or heard, or request information.
We also have a Live Chat service, where you can send direct messages to a digital 101 operator Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.
We still have our 24-hour 101 service which people can call if they feel it is more appropriate to speak to us or don't have access to the internet.
Always call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just been committed, someone is in immediate danger or harm, property is in danger or being damaged, or a serious disruption to the public is likely.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000.
British Sign Language (BSL) users please use our video relay service where an interpreter will help you report the crime to us.
If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions depending on whether you're calling from a mobile or a landline.
