News 26 June to 2 July
 Kai Hurst, Mohammed Fathi, Bailey Ruscoe and Peter Clegg
Loughton: 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.
 Community Speed Watch Update for Epping
Community Speed Watch Volunteers have been out in Epping Upland recently. Using speed check equipment they recorded 30% of passing traffic were over the speed limit, with the fastest at 47mph.
Community Speed Watch conduct local traffic speed monitoring and are supported by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership and partners. It is delivered by volunteers within their own communities, aiming to improve road safety.
Volunteers are trained by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, including roadside training, are provided with equipment and are supported by a Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator and Essex Police.
If you would like to read more about what Community Speed Watch do or join as a volunteer, visit the Safer Essex Roads Partnership website.
Policing plans remain in place for each potential England game – we hope all the way up to the final on Sunday 14 July. We’ve got officers at key locations in town and city centres across the county on matchdays. In the background, you’ll see us continuing our work to keep you safe, take drink and drug drivers off our roads and tackle domestic abuse.
Domestic abuse remains a key focus during major football tournaments. This type of offending is not solely connected to football and as in issue it remains a force-wide priority throughout the year. But we can see a rise in incidents during tournaments.
We’ll be issuing Domestic Violence Prevention Notices to perpetrators who we have not yet received authorisation to charge but who we strongly suspect have been violent in the domestic setting. These notices run for 48 hours and mean the perpetrator cannot return to the home in that time. Within 48 hours, a court hearing takes place where the notice is converted into a Domestic Violence Prevention Order. That order is then in place for 28 days.
Throughout the tournament, where there is evidence that a domestic incident can be directly linked to football, officers will also compile evidence to submit to the Crown Prosecution Service which will consider asking the courts to apply a Football Banning Order to convicted perpetrators. That would be in addition to any restraining orders or non-molestation orders imposed by the court.
Working in partnership with The Change Project, we are encouraging people to break the cycle of domestic abuse by changing their behaviour.
The campaign focuses on different types of abuse – from physical abuse, to controlling behaviour, stalking and harassment, and uncontrolled emotions like humiliation or anger aimed at your loved ones.
And just as with domestic incidents, we will take robust action against anyone who gets behind the wheel of a car after drinking or taking drugs. Our Roads Policing Unit are leading our response by increasing high visibility patrols on all our roads, both strategic and rural. There will be no road that can be used to evade being caught. We have hundreds of police officers trained to take drug wipe tests at the side of the road, meaning you’re just as likely to get caught for drug driving.
Across the period of the tournament, Roads Policing officers have arrested 78 people on suspicion of drink or drug driving.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Friday 5 July 11am to 1pm
Let's Talk, Willingale Village Hall, The Street, Ongar CM5 0SN
Friday 5 July 11am to 12pm
Let's Talk, Costa Coffee, Highbridge Retail Park, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey EN9 1BY
Saturday 6 July 9am to 11am
Let's Talk, Gunpowder Park Run, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey EN9 3GP
Monday 22 July 11am to 12pm
Let's Talk, Costa Coffee, 2 Victoria Road, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5ES
 Crime prevention advice at festivals
- Don’t keep all your cash and valuables in the same place: spread them around in different pockets.
- Only take the credit cards you need.
- Make a note of your credit card numbers and leave it at home, plus the number to call if they are mislaid (phone numbers for lost credit cards are also held at Info Points).
- Lock and empty your vehicles. Leave the glove compartment open and conspicuously empty.
- Only bring what you can afford to lose: you can buy disposable cameras on site.
- There’s safety in groups: set up camp near friends and make friends with your neighbours. Look out for each other’s property.
- Mark your property: clearly label your gear (including your tent) with your postcode. Obvious indelible markings will significantly reduce the risk of things being stolen and will increase the chance of their return if found. Tag your keys with a phone number and a friends address.
- Use the security lockups for your valuables.
- Take any valuables – including prescription medication – with you when you leave your tent: keep them with you or store them in the security lock-ups.
- To make life harder for thieves, leave your tent untidy so there’s not an obvious bag to grab quickly.
- Be inventive about where you hide your valuables when sleeping: you may not hear someone enter your tent, so separate your money and valuables into small amounts and hide them in different places in your tent.
Be fraud smart
Ticket fraud is when you buy tickets from a website, but the tickets do not arrive or turn out to be fake.
How do scam ticket websites work?
- The website offers you the chance to buy tickets to a popular event. The event is often actually sold-out, or the tickets haven’t officially gone on sale yet.
- You pay for the tickets but they are never delivered.
- In some cases you might be told that a customer representative will meet you at the venue on the day. Nobody turns up.
- You may even receive tickets, but when you arrive at the event, the organisers tell you the tickets are fake.
- When you try to call the company you bought the tickets from, your calls are not answered or do not connect.
- Remember that it’s easy for scammers to set up a fake website that looks genuine. Some even use a name or website url that is similar to a legitimate website. If you’re unsure or it sounds too good to be true, leave the website immediately.
Get safe online: Protect yourself from scam ticket websites
- Check with the event organiser, promoter or venue how and when tickets are being distributed.
- Check where the company’s office is and whether they have a landline in this country and a proper address rather than a PO box.
- Check online if there is adverse criticism of the company.
- Ask questions, such as when the ticket will be dispatched and what type of ticket you are buying.
- Read the terms and conditions on all but particularly not known websites (some ticket websites state quite clearly that there are no refunds).
- If you’re buying football tickets, be aware that it’s illegal to re-sell football tickets under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act in most instances.
- Pay for tickets by credit card – the card issuer is jointly liable for a failure for goods or services to be provided as long as the price of a single ticket is more than £100 (but less than £30,000) but check with your card provider how long the period of liability is if the event is further ahead .
- Check the payment pages are secure by looking for a padlock symbol in the address bar, and making sure the website address begins with ‘https’.
 Do you have any general advice for staying safe at a festival?
Festivals are full of fun-loving crowds who have come to enjoy the experience and have fun. They are also extremely busy so it is important to keep your wits about you and be prepared. Below we have set out some key guidance to follow to ensure you stay safe while making the most of your festival experience.
- Leave your valuables at home if possible
- Mark your tent/property with your name and postcode
- Avoid wandering off alone - there is safety in numbers
- Never leave your drink unattended.
- Arrange a meeting point in case any of you lose your phone/battery dies and can't be contacted.
Generally there is a lot of drinking/drug taking at festivals and it is important to know your limits. Drinking to excess can affect your judgement and result in you making silly decisions. Please see related links for a more extensive list on festival safety.
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