News 23 October to 29 October
 Abdel Toure and Claud Osbourne
Four dealers jailed as two drug lines shut down
Work to disrupt the gangs fuelling the supply of crack cocaine and heroin in Southend has seen two county lines dismantled and more than 14 years in prison sentences passed down on their members.
During the investigation into one of these drug lines, heroin contaminated with a high-potency synthetic adulterant was uncovered.
Operation Raptor, our teams dedicated to taking down county lines gangs, built cases against the ‘William’ and ‘Dexter’ lines in 2023.
Five drug dealers associated with the lines have now been sentenced.
We’ve made another seven arrests thanks to our Live Facial Recognition technology during deployments in Southend earlier this month.
The vans were deployed in the High Street five times between 13 and 21 October as part of our response to incidents of disorder in the city.
The arrests included in connection with investigations into attempted murder, domestic violence, assault, drug supply and shoplifting.
It means since the first deployment of the technology at the Clacton Airshow, the LFR vans have led to 25 arrests.
Essex Police is supporting a new national campaign that focuses on encouraging victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation to reach out for support.
‘When You Are Ready’, launched by the national Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce, has been fully informed by those with lived experience from start to finish, hopes to make victims and survivors feel seen and heard, to know they’re not alone and encourage them to tell a friend, contact a support organisation and feel empowered to take that step, whenever they’re ready to do so.
 Dusan Vavrek
Man jailed for nine years after knife attack
A drug addict who launched a vicious knife attack as he robbed a man of hundreds of pounds has been jailed thanks to a tireless investigation.
Dusan Vavrek, 41, was identified and arrested days after he slashed his victim across the hands and head in a bid to steal cash to fuel his drug habit.
The assault was carried out in March this year.
The victim, a man aged in his 70s, first met Vavrek in 2020 when they were neighbours at a multi-occupancy address in Westcliff.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Thursday 31 October between 5pm to 6pm
Sainsbury's Local, Southchurch Road
Friday 1 November between 11am to 12pm
Leigh Community Centre, Elm Road, Leigh
Saturday 2 November between 11am to 11:30am
Outside Co Op, Rochford Road, Southend
Saturday 2 November between 11am to 12pm
Shoebury Park, Elm Road, Shoebury
Monday 4 November between 10:30am to 11:30am
The Victoria Shopping Centre, Southend
Tuesday 5 November between 12pm to 1pm
East Beach Café, Rampart Terrace, Southend
Tuesday 5 November between 11am to 12pm
Havens Age concern, Hamlet Court Road, Southend
Thursday 7 November between 5pm to 6pm
Southend East Station, Ambleside Drive, Southend
 Family Gold Theft
- Be secure - lock your doors and windows every time you
leave your house or go to bed. For extra security and peace
of mind buy CCTV and a burglar alarm, and store high value
items in a safe secured to a wall or floor. Alternatively keep
high value items in a safe deposit box or a bank
- Keep an inventory of your jewellery including photos. This
can be done in a paper version or online with companies
such as immobilise.com. Make sure you include details
such as identifying marks, value, and purchase date. List
each one of them on your home insurance and be sure they
are covered by your policy.
- Be alert to risk when using social media - be mindful not to
display or share pictures of expensive jewellery for all to see.
Ensure your social media setting are set for private.
When wearing jewellery in public, particularly during
wedding season and religious holidays, consider keeping
your jewellery discreetly hidden until you get to the venue
and be extra vigilant.
- Criminals sometimes identify targets through personal
information - be wary of people asking for these details
at work, socially or even over the phone. Also be wary of
strangers calling at or hanging around your home
Be fraud smart
What is phishing?
'Phishing' is when criminals use fake emails, text messages or phone calls to reel you in. Their aim is often to make you visit a website which may download a virus onto your computer or steal personal information.
Criminals use information about you that’s available online (including on social media sites) to make their phishing messages more convincing.
To help stay safe be mindful of what details you post online and set your accounts to only people you know.
 Where can I report a suspicious / phishing / scam email?
Phishing is a cyber crime where criminals contact people by email, telephone or text message, pretending to be a legitimate organisation. They try to get people to provide personal information such as bank details and passwords, and often include links that once clicked, download a virus to your computer and steal personal information. The information is then used to access accounts and can result in identity theft and financial loss.
Be aware of suspicious messages and emails and do not click on links or attachments in them. Never respond to unsolicited messages that ask for your personal or financial details.
If you do receive a suspicious email, this can be reported to National Cyber Security Centre via their Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) Any suspected frauds committed by email can be send to Action Fraud.
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