News 3 July to 9 July
 Jailed - Liam Atkins
Drug dealer jailed after enlisting children
A man who employed children to run crack cocaine and heroin has been jailed after an investigation led by teams dedicated to busting drug dealing gangs.
Our Operation Raptor officers, who target county lines selling Class A drugs in Essex, secured a conviction against 24-year-old Liam Atkins.
Patrolling officer catches knife offender
An officer who returned to her patrols shortly after taking part in a community event focused on knife crime caught an offender carrying a seven-inch blade.
Acting Sergeant Carly Boitoult, of Southend’s town centre team, had engaged with children at an event near the Knife Angel – a sculpture raising awareness of the impact of knife crime – on Thursday 4 July.
At around 5.40pm, she resumed her patrols of Southend High Street, when she was approached by a member of the public.
The member of the public advised her of suspected drug dealing activity taking place nearby.
Sgt Boitoult approached a group of males, with one of their number fleeing on foot.
This man, Rashid Yousefi, 28, of Windermere Road, Southend, was detained and searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Due to suspicions he may have concealed or discarded evidence nearby, officers swiftly searched the area and conducted CCTV enquiries.
This revealed the Yousefi had thrown a knife onto a nearby roof while fleeing our officer.
This weapon was recovered and revealed to be a large kitchen knife.
Yousefi was arrested and later charged with possession of a knife in a public place.
At Southend Magistrates’ Court on Friday 5 July, he admitted the charge and was jailed for 26 weeks.
Action aimed at driving down high-harm crime in south Essex has seen knife-related offending fall steadily across the area.
A number of operations tackling weapons offences, drug dealing and robbery were carried out last year in the districts of Basildon, Southend, Castle Point and Rochford.
Teams of officers were focused on busting the drug dealing gangs fuelling the use of weapons and violence.
 Lewis Parker
A convicted sex offender, who bragged on an online chat room that he would not stop offending has been jailed for over four years.
Lewis Parker, 23 of Westcliff Avenue, Westcliff appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, 1 July where he was sentenced following proactive work from our Police Online Investigation Team.
Officers attended Parker’s address in Westcliff on 9 May 2024 following intelligence that Parker had been accessing indecent images of children online. He was arrested on suspicion of multiple offences. Devices, which Parker was prohibited from owning following a previous conviction, were seized for analysis.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Thursday 11 July 3pm to 5pm
School Fete at Hamstel School, Hamstel Road, Southend
Friday 12 July 2pm to 4:30pm
School Fete at Friars Primary School, Constable Way, Shoebury
Friday 12 July 3pm to 4pm
Shared Space, Southchurch Road, Southend
Saturday 13 July 11am to 4pm
School Fete at Edwards Hall School, Macmurdo Road, Eastwood
Saturday 13 July 10am to 2pm
School Fete at Richmond Primary School, Richmond Avenue, Shoebury
Saturday 13 July 12pm to 2pm
School Fete at Shoebury High School, Caulfield Road, Shoebury
Sunday 14 July 8am to 6pm
Dog show at Chalkwell Park, London Road, Westcliff
Tuesday 16 July 2pm to 3pm
Waitrose, London Road, Leigh
Tuesday 16 July 11am to 1pm
Southend Highstreet near Odeon
Thursday 18 July 10am to 11am
Gemmas of Leigh, Broadway West, Leigh
Friday 19 July 2:45pm to 3:15pm
Earls Hall School, Carlton Avenue, Westcliff
 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.
Be fraud smart
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.
 I want to have a personalised number plate with fancy writing, what are the requirements?
There are a number of legal requirements in relation to the display and format of number plates. Basically, you must not:
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alter, rearrange or misrepresent the letters or numbers,
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characters must not be moved from one group to the other,
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character size and spacing must comply with the regulations.
Offences in relation to the above may result in any or all of the following:
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