News 17 July to 23 July
 Harwich: Busy week for the Community Policing Team
Harwich Community Policing Team (CPT) have had yet another busy week, engaging with the community and keeping people safe.
Here is a snapshot of what they have been up too over the last week.
• Their PCSO’s have been engaging with the public and listening to their concerns, they have been working alongside Tendring District Council regarding concerns over off road motorbikes. • They have attended the Bradfield & Wix School Fete. • They have assisted the Roads Policing Team, who have been out conducting speed checks in Great Bromley. • They have attended ‘Let’s Talk’ events at the CVST Harwich Hub & Manningtree Library. • They have also been getting the word out about their ‘Community Engagement Action Day’ on Saturday 3 August at The Walls in Manningtree (10am-2pm)
The CPT Officers and their Sergeant have.
• Arrested a 21-year-old male for several offences and secured 8 charges around the importation and sale of Class A, B and C drugs, resulting in the male being remanded in custody. • They have reported and submitted a case for court, in relation to a male they spotted whilst on proactive patrols in Harwich who was driving whilst disqualified. • They submitted a case file for a male who was stopped and arrested for drug driving. • They charged and remanded a female for offences around the inappropriate use of the emergency services. • Arrested & interviewed a male for possession of class A, with the intent to supply, enquiries ongoing. • & arrested, another male for numerous offences linked to the Clacton area.
In between spending time in custody, carrying out paperwork, progressing investigations they have been proactively patrolling the area, stopping vehicles, and assisting their colleagues on LPT (Local Policing Team) responding to the 999 calls.
 Tendring District Commander meets local Councillors
On Monday 22 July, Tendring District Commander Chief Inspector Ella Latham in company with the Community Policing Team Inspector Aaron Homatopoulos and the Town Centre Team Sergeant, attended the Town Hall in Clacton for the start of their ‘meet & greet’ tour with the Tendring Councillors.
They met with Clacton Councillors, Mark Stephenson, Gina Placey, Andy Baker, Adrian Smith, Maurice Alexander, Bernie Goldman, and Chris Amos.
The councillors had the opportunity to raise any issues or concerns they have around their ward areas.
The meet and greet tour will continue as follows:
Manningtree on Thursday 25 July. Jaywick on Thursday 15 August. Frinton & Walton on Monday 20 August. Harwich on Tuesday 10 September. Brightlingsea on Friday 20 September.
If you see us out and about, please come over and speak to us about any concerns you may have in your community or just to say hello!
 Would you know what to do?
Would you know what to do if you answered a 999 call to someone asking for help? Regardless of your answer, you wouldn’t be expected to – that’s our job. Our Contact Centre Officers are trained to confidently and effectively deal with an emergency call.
Our Contact Management Centre is the heart of Essex Police. It’s the first point of contact for those who need us.
Every year in Essex, we answer more than a quarter of a million calls to 999 and around half-a-million calls to our 101 service. Dispatching officers to those in need, our Contact Management Centre operates 365 days-a-year, seven-days-a-week, 24-hours a day.
As a Contact Centre officer you'll be trained to work quickly under pressure. You'll be taught the skills to remain calm, even in the most challenging of situations. While reassuring the caller, you will gather as much information as possible to help determine the response needed. This is integral in keeping both the public, and our police officers, safe. Your skills and professionalism mean we can continue to help people, keep our communities safe and catch criminals.
Dovercourt: Man admits importing pills from Germany
A Dovercourt man has admitted to importing ecstasy pills from Germany with intent to supply, plus a raft of other drugs offences.
After appearing before Colchester magistrates on 13 July 2024, Joel Cairns, 20, was remanded in custody for sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court next month.
Magistrates were told that Cairns had initially been stopped on 26 May 2024 by a Harwich Community Policing Team officer who noticed a strong smell of cannabis. During a search under section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, he was found to have cannabis on him.
Thirteen days later, a Border Force officer was examining parcels from Germany and discovered 496 MDMA tablets inside one addressed to Cairns.
He was later arrested and a search of his home address in Parkeston Road revealed more ecstasy pills and cannabis bud, as well as Pregablin, Diazepam and Alprazolam tablets. Officers also located three large bags of cannabis and a bag of ecstasy pills in a shed in the garden plus digital scales and empty deal bags
A mobile phone and a card cloner were also seized.
At court, Cairns admitted a charge of importation of MDMA (ecstasy), possession with intent to supply MDMA, three counts of possession with intent to supply a Class C drug, possession of cannabis, possession with intent to supply cannabis and possessing or controlling an article for use in fraud.
He is due to be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court during the week beginning 12 August 2024.
" Crime is falling - but we need right funding to keep it going down"
“Crime is continuing to fall in Essex – and we’ll be able to keep it going down if we have the right funding” – that’s the message from our Chief Constable.
The latest figures show there were more than 10,200 fewer crimes reported in Essex in the year to the end of June than the previous 12 months, a continuation of a trend which has seen crime fall in the county of the last few years.
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: “We’ve had consistent funding in recent years thanks to the people of Essex, and the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner, meaning we’ve been able to grow the force and consistently bring crime down.
“There were more than 10,000 fewer crimes reported in the last year with fewer violent, sexual and domestic offences, and fewer repeat victims of domestic abuse.
“We’re starting to turn the tide of vehicle crime, we’re solving more vehicle theft cases, and we’re recovering hundreds of vehicles worth millions of pounds.
“Knife crime is falling and we’re seeing fewer people robbed. Although there is no complacency. Every person hurt or life lost is a tragedy.
“Our specialist team which investigates online child abuse is the most effective in the country and our DA teams are breaking the cycle of domestic abuse and changing people’s behaviour.
“In the last fortnight we’ve secured 52 charges for shoplifting.
“And just this month we’ve seen a 71 year-old man was jailed for eight years for attempted murder, Gavin Plumb brought to justice for his plot against Holly Willoughby, a drug dealer jailed for more than three years, and a man put away for stealing laptops from Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow during the Covid pandemic.
“This is all work that has real impact on people’s lives.
“To have a prosperous society, you need to have a safe society and I’m committed to keeping that work going - but we can only do so if we have the resources.”
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Friday 26 July – 10.30 to 11.30 – Harwich Market, Dovercourt High Street, CO12 3AJ.
Saturday 27 July – 10.00 to 12.00 – Walton Food Bank, Standley Road, Walton on Naze, CO14 8PT.
Saturday 27 July – 10.30 to 11.30 – Manningtree Market, Marketplace, Manningtree, CO11 1DJ.
Monday 29 July – 10.00 to 11.00 - Morrisons Supermarket, Centenary way, Little Clacton, CO16 9SB.
Tuesday 30 July – 10.00 to 11.00 - M&S Food, Unit 1, Brook Park West, T Grove, Clacton, CO16 9FY.
Saturday 3 August – 10.00 to 14.00 – Multi Agency Event, The Walls, Manningtree, CO11 1AT.
 Protect keyless entry vehicles
Protect your keyless car from thieves. Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture signal. Your car could be stolen within 10 seconds. Read our tips on how to keep your vehicle safe: • When at home keep your car key (and the spare) well away from the car. • Put the keys in a screened or signal-blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag and check if the bag or pouch is still working every few months. • Re-programme your keys if you buy a second hand car. • Turn off wireless signals on your fob when it's not being used.
Protect yourself from ATM theft
It’s a good idea to scan the area around ATMs before you use them. Be aware of anyone standing close by and always check the machine to see if it’s been tampered with before you use it.
Tell-tale signs of ATM fraud Things to look out for are devices attached to the machine – some are more obvious than others. If you do see something suspicious contact the police and the bank.
Remember, if it doesn’t look or feel right then steer clear and, if possible, go inside the bank where it will be safer. And always keep a regular check on your transactions.
Be alert We know it’s not always easy, but try to be aware of anyone near you when you’re at an ATM. Being aware of your surroundings and not being distracted makes it harder for people to take advantage and less likely that they’ll try to.
Thieves will watch as you key in your PIN or distract you while you’re withdrawing cash. Be vigilant. Cover your PIN and keep an eye on your card at all times. If someone taps you on the shoulder or tries to speak to you, just ignore them.
When you've left the ATM, put your card away immediately.
You should also be careful with contactless cards. You can get a card holder to prevent your card details being inadvertently read.
 I have been in a road traffic collision nobody was injured do I need to report this to the police?
If both parties stopped at the scene and exchanged names and addresses, then there is no legal requirement to report the accident to the police. Road traffic law has been complied with and the police will not take a report.
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