News 23 September to 29 September
 “I blamed myself for many years because I never said goodbye” - PC Dave Bishop, 40 years on from his PC father’s murder
In August 1984, PC Brian Bishop was shot when apprehending an armed robber in Frinton. He died five days later in hospital.
His son, Dave, was just ten years old at the time. In 2001, Dave joined Essex Police and is currently part of Colchester Community Policing Team.
To mark National Police Memorial Day, Dave reflects on his father’s tragic death and the lasting impact on him and his family.
Officers searching for a man missing since 24 August have issued a fresh appeal as they carry out a new extensive search in the area he was last seen.
Martyn Richardson was seen in the Bocking area at around 8.30pm on a Saturday evening last month and was reported missing when he hadn’t returned home the following day, Sunday 25 August.
The 27-year-old was seen on CCTV riding a blue bicycle that has since been recovered undamaged by officers close to the area he was last seen.
Work undertaken by our officers has helped us rule out several possibilities, however we are still looking for Martyn.
Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.
Officers from Essex Police took part in a targeted week of action as part of a crackdown on spiking across the county.
From licensee checks and night-time patrols to education events and engagement opportunities, we were out and about across our towns and cities to raise awareness of the issue and offer support and advice.
With a focus on Freshers’ Week, our officers were equipping students with information to keep them safe on a night out.
Alongside our crime prevention work, we’re also reminding those committing such offences that we will take action against them and, together with businesses, we’ll continue to target predatory behaviour and safeguard victims.
A former Essex Police officer has spent his 100th birthday surrounded by family and friends in Frinton.
Retired PC Eric Birkin turned 100 on 19 September and celebrated last weekend.
Chief Superintendent Claire Talbot and Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, from his Essex Police family, also attended to present Eric with a special award from the force to mark his centenary.
Eric joined the then Essex County Constabulary 70 years ago on 23 September 1954, four days after his 30th birthday. This followed a seven-year spell in the Army – serving in the Essex and Suffolk Regiments – and five years as a storeman.
Eric was transferred to the Essex and Southend-on-Sea Joint Constabulary on 1 April 1969, which became Essex Police five years later. He retired in September 1983, aged 59.
We asked our communities how many suspects you thought had been arrested on suspicion of shoplifting in Essex this year.
The answer is that, since 1 January, officers have so far made 1,025 arrests for shop theft.
And our officers have also secured a total of 1,733 shop theft charges in that time.
But we can’t do it without you.
Thanks to a close working partnership between our police teams, retailers and business organisations, we are getting the evidence – such as witness statements and CCTV footage – to build strong cases to put before the courts.
Drug runners who used a Southend guest house as a base for selling heroin and crack cocaine have been jailed.
Officers with our Operation Raptor unit, which is dedicated to tackling county lines drug dealing, secured the sentences against 22-year-old Justice Oyedokun and 21-year-old Deviston Francis.
The pair were runners for the ‘Shadow’ drug line, which brought Class A drugs from London to Southend.
Dozens of suspected zombie-style knives or machetes were handed in at police station front counters across Essex as part of a national surrender scheme.
Police forces across England and Wales, including Essex Police, participated in the Home Office-led amnesty, which ran from 26 August until 23 September.
Zombie-style knives and machetes are now outlawed by new legislation as of 24 September.
The law covers the manufacture, supply, sale, possession and importation of these weapons.
Ahead of the new law, previous owners of specified zombie knives and machetes were able to submit a claim for compensation while surrendering the weapons at police station front counters.
Throughout the scheme, we saw more than 200 knives of many varieties presented at our front counters for surrender.
To date, 15 have been confirmed by the Home Office to meet the criteria for their compensation scheme, with more than 70 still awaiting final confirmation.
All have been seized, taken out of circulation and will be destroyed.
Essex Police joined forces with Kent Police colleagues to target uninsured drivers using the Dartford River Crossing in a crackdown on those breaking the law in the two force areas.
As part of this work, they were joined by Motor Insurers Bureau’s Law Enforcement Liaison Officer. They worked with teams from across both forces, including speed enforcement officers, resulting in:
• 12 vehicles being seized including two motorcycles
• 30 tickets issued for speed offences
• 38 traffic offence reports issued for seatbelts, phones, careless driving and other offences
• Launch of a fraud investigation
• An arrest for immigration offences
While most drivers are correctly insured and uphold the law, there remains a link between uninsured drivers and serious collisions and further criminality that if overlooked will harm our communities.
The operation is designed to target areas where there are potentially high levels of uninsured vehicles, thereby disrupting the criminal use of the road network. The collaborative approach allows the use of data and intelligence held by partners to identify those who use our roads illegally.
A survivor, who was sexually abused in the 1970s has shared his experiences to support others, on the day his perpetrator is jailed.
Colin Turner, 69 of Firtree Rise, Chelmsford appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on 26 September where he was sentenced to three years in prison for non-recent sexual offences.
Following the sentencing, the victim bravely released a statement to encourage other survivors to seek support.
“If I could speak directly to anyone who is a survivor of sexual abuse but maybe hasn’t found the strength to report, I would encourage them to make that step and contact the police.
"Even if you don’t get result you want, you feel a sense of enlightenment by finally being listened to and by seeing officers work so hard to get you justice.”
Read the full statement on our website.
As part of a multi-agency approach to disrupt serious organised vehicle crime, our officers have worked closely with other law enforcement agencies and forces, resulting in recovery of stolen vehicles and parts valued at over half-a-million pounds.
The week-long operation ran from Monday 16 September and saw a targeted approach between law enforcement agencies including police forces, the National Crime Agency and Ports Police, to disrupt organised criminality and tackle the highest harm offenders and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) led operations at ports to recover stolen vehicles destined for overseas.
316 stolen vehicles were recovered nationally, with a value of more than £4m with 180 arrests made nationally.
On Monday 19 February, our Roads Policing Unit officers were notified of a single vehicle collision on A12 at the junction 12 exit at Shenfield shortly after 5am.
Upon arrival they saw a loaded HGV had collided with the slip road barrier, damaging a 30-metre section.
The driver was shaken, but thankfully not hurt.
Enquiries at the scene established the driver had momentarily fallen asleep whilst driving westbound on the dual carriage way. The noise of the lorry hitting the barrier woke the articulated lorry driver.
Mihai-florentin Bauer of Hartside Road, Sunderland, appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 19 September where he pleaded guilty to driving without due care. The 44-year-old was issued with 9 penalty points and fined £600 and costs.
Seven people were arrested having been identified by our Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology during a deployment in Southend last week.
Our two LFR vans were in the city between Thursday 19 September and Sunday 22 September as part of our response to incident of violence a week earlier on Sunday 15 September, where four people were arrested.
Across the four days there were a total of 14 positive alerts which led to seven people arrested.
These arrests included in connection with an aggravated burglary, a domestic assault, assaulting an emergency worker, and shoplifting.
It means that since our first deployment a month ago, 16 people have now been arrested having been identified by our LFR vans.
There have been 30 positive alerts and zero incorrect alerts.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 30 September
10am to 11am
M&S Food, Unit 1, Brook Park West, T Grove, Clacton on Sea
11am to 12pm
Canvey library 2 High Street, Canvey Island
11am to 12pm
Miracle House, Silver island Way, Wickford, SS12 9NR
7pm to 8pm
Ferndale Baptist Church, North Avenue, Southend
Tuesday 1 October
10:30am to 11am
Stambourne Chapel
11am to 12pm
Great Tarpots library, London Road, Benfleet
11am to 12pm
Towngate Theatre, St. Martins Square, Basildon SS14 1DL
11am to 12pm
Great Tarpots library, 127 London Rd, South Benfleet, Benfleet
11am to 12:30pm
South Essex College, High Street, Grays
3pm to 4:30pm
Witham Town Hall, Heritage Suite, Witham
Wednesday 2 October
110am to 12pm
Henham Community Shop, High Street, Henham
11am to 12pm
Costa Coffee, Highbridge Retail Park, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey EN9 1BY
3pm to 3:30pm
St Andrews Church, Earls Colne
Friday 4 October
9:30am to 11am
Touchpoint, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted
10am to 11:30am
Touchpoint, 72 Chapel Hill, Stansted
11am to 12pm
Willingale Village Hall, The Street, Ongar
11am to 12pm
Outside Marks & Spencer 62 High St, Chelmsford
12pm to 1pm
Queens Hall, Halstead
Saturday 5 October
10am to 12pm
Saint Peter And St. Paul, Orsett Road, Horndon on The Hill
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Grays Town park cafe
5:30pm
One Stop, High Street, Elsenham
7:30pm
Henham Community Shop, High Street, Henham
8:30pm
Co-op, Church Road, Stansted
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
 Boost your vehicle security
- Always Lock Your Vehicle: Even if you’re just stepping away for a moment.
- Remove Valuables: Keep your belongings out of sight to deter opportunistic thieves.
- Park in Well-Lit Areas: Choose spots that are well-lit and where possible covered by CCTV.
- Install an Alarm System: Consider investing in additional security such as steering wheel locks, pedal boxes and gear stick locks.
Be fraud smart
Scam Alert!
Fraudsters are sending fake text messages from your local council asking for payment for a parking Penalty Charge Notice.
Requesting you click on a link to pay, the fraudsters have set up a duplicate website which looks like an official Gov site.
Never click on a link from a number you do not know.
Please share this message and help make others aware.
 Join our team
Police staff jobs
Digital Forensic Technician £30,783
Business Services Assistant £23,121
Detention Officers £28,409 to £32,335
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
 This week we remember
Basil John Boggis
Basil John Boggis joined Essex County Constabulary on 13 June 1938 and served at Braintree, Witham and Steeple Bumpstead which was his final posting. He remained there until leaving the police on 13 September, 1943. The following day he joined the army and was killed in action on Monday 2 October, 1944 whilst serving as Lance Corporal 14664830 with 3rd Battalion, Irish Guards. He was aged 29. He was buried in grave 11. A. 7. at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery in The Netherlands.
Charles Alfred Freeborn
Charles Freeborn joined Essex County Constabulary on 9 November 1912 and served at Braintree. He enlisted in Chelmsford with the 3rd Battalion Royal Fusiliers on 16 May 1915. He was killed in action in an attack at Montbrehain near Peronne on 4 October 1918, just forty days before the end of the war. Apart from his discomfort in the heat and disease ridden area of Salonika he had only seen action on two occasions during his three and a half years with the Royal Fusiliers. In the first, at Loos, he was injured and in the second he was killed.
Reginald Kitchener Ford
Reginald Ford served with Southend Borough Constabulary. He is thought to have completed some military service during the 1930s and been on the reserve list at the outbreak of the war. He died on Tuesday, 5 October 1943 while serving as Serjeant 5181732 with the 67 Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery. Reginald was aged 27.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.
 Obituaries
Robert Hunt
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague Robert Hunt who retired as a D/Constable in 1999 and served at Brentwood and Colchester. He passed away on the 5 September 2024 aged 80 years.
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