Brentwood: Four arrested for going equipped to steal
Thanks to a vigilant member of the public, four men have been arrested for theft and going equipped to steal.
On the evening of Thursday 17 December, our Contact Centre received information about a vehicle and its occupants acting suspiciously in Basildon after the lock of an HGV container had been broken and the container entered.
Roads Policing Unit officers searched the area for the car and quickly located it in a layby on A12 at Brentwood.
As officers approached the motor, an item was thrown from the car.
PD Kaiser tracked and found the item, a pair of bolt croppers, hidden in some bushes.
At 11.15pm, all four occupants were arrested on suspicion of theft and going equipped to steal.
At home and away over the festive season, we want you to enjoy your football.
And our dedicated football officers will be looking after you, the supporters, to make sure that happens.
They know you and they want you to know them so that if you have an issue at a football match, you can come and talk to them about it.
At the end of the day, we want you to be able to support your team safely.
If you need to report a crime or you want to give us information, you can do so online, where you can also speak to one of our LiveChat operators 24/7.
Clacton: Woman sentenced to 25 years for attempted murder
A woman who stabbed a man more than 30 times has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Thirty-six-year-old Lucinda Fyfield was found guilty of attempted murder and sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday 20 December after a 39-year-old man was found with life-threatening injuries in Clacton earlier this year.
A “chop shop” located near Stansted Airport leads officers to find stolen vehicles and car parts valued at £400K and two men arrested.
Essex Police received information from colleagues in the Metropolitan Police force of a recently stolen vehicle potentially being tracked to the Uttlesford area on Monday 9 December.
A search within the Uttlesford area located the vehicle, a Mercedes GLC, within an enclosed yard.
Officers from the Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit spent three days sifting through an adjoining unit’s contents, resulting in them identifying a further 17 stolen high value vehicles including Mercedes, Volvo, and Porsche – the retail value of the insured losses in excess of £400k.
Enquiries by the same officers, experienced in identifying stolen cars and parts, found evidence to link the property to recent thefts from other forces’ areas - London, Hampshire, Surrey, and Kent – and Essex.
Two men from Romford, aged 35 and 38, were arrested on suspicion of theft of vehicles and handling stolen goods as part of the investigation and have been released on bail until Saturday 1 March 2025 whilst we continue our enquiries.
South Ockendon: Woman charged with murder after child's death
A woman has been charged with murder following the death of a young boy in South Ockendon.
Detectives within our Serious Crime Directorate are continuing a hugely sensitive investigation following an incident in Windstar Drive on the afternoon of Sunday 15 December.
Police officers worked alongside paramedics to try and save the life of five-year-old Lincoln Button after being called to the address.
They had initially responded to reports of serious concerns for the welfare of a child and a woman.
The woman was taken on to hospital for treatment and her condition did improve.
She’s since been discharged into custody and questioned.
As a result of our enquiries, the woman, 35-year-old Claire Button, of Windstar Drive, South Ockendon, has been charged with murder.
She is due to appear at Southend Magistrates' Court on Monday 23 December.
Volunteer Richard Wicks, left, and SC Claire Walters, right, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper at the Lord Ferrers Awards ceremony
Double success for Essex volunteers at the 2024 Lord Ferrers Awards
An Essex firm has won a top award for the support it provides to Essex Police Special Constabulary.
Even the chief executive of East Tilbury-based British Institute of Kitchen Bedroom and Bathroom Installation (BIKBBI) is a Special.
Also recognised at the Lord Ferrers Awards, which highlight the achievements of volunteers in policing across the country, was Richard Wicks, a volunteer with the Essex Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC).
The Home Office event, hosted by Sir Martyn Lewis earlier this month, focuses on truly outstanding commitment to volunteering in local communities.
Advice to make your home less likely to be a target
A couple who were victims of burglary when they were out for a pre-Christmas celebratory meal are sharing their story to warn others this festive season.
Sharon and Danny Brown from Stanford-le-Hope returned home on Monday 9 December to find their treasured belongings strewn across the floor.
Sharon said:
“We called the police, and they came to speak to us and check the whole house.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. It didn’t register at first what had happened, but then it dawned on me and I realised we’d been burgled.
"It was such a shock. We’ve lived here 30 years and always felt so safe. "Whoever broke in has pulled out all our drawers and cupboards and gone through our personal space.
"They took some irreplaceable jewellery including my engagement and wedding ring. They also took a gold gate bracelet which my mum gave me for my 21st birthday, 50 years ago.
"I wanted to hand that down to my children and grandchildren, but they have taken that from me too.”
Marine Unit support national 'Don't Drink an Drown' campaign
Over the last week or so, the team have been supporting the National ‘Don’t Drink and Drown’ campaign with Essex County Fire and Rescue Water safety Team. They attended Essex University at Wivenhoe as well as the Tesco store at Maldon, where they were on-hand to discuss water safety with the community.
Sadly, at this time of year there is an increase in drownings, especially on inland rivers and waterways. With so many people out celebrating the festive period, alcohol is often a contributing factor, so the Royal Life-Saving Society run a campaign each year to highlight the increased dangers of rivers and lakes, especially when under the influence of alcohol or other substances.
The team took part in joint training with Essex Fire and Rescue over at Lee Valley. This involved testing both service’s responses to vehicle submerged in water and ensures greater interoperability in the event of a joint rescue.
Despite these shore-based activities, we were still out along the coastline, visiting some of our more isolated areas such as Tollesbury and patrolling up to Wivenhoe and Brightlingsea on our Police boat ‘Sentinel’, where we were able to catch up with some of the local rowing clubs.
A WhatsApp scam is currently being used by fraudsters which offers a chance to win a free gift from Cadbury.
The fraudster asks you to provide your name and phone number then to share a link with your WhatsApp friends. It encourages you to share with more people by using a percentage image that looks like its going up slowly.
The scam works by asking you a few questions about Cadbury then offering you a number of boxes under which are ‘hidden gifts’. The fake website uses the Cadbury logo and Christmas branding which makes it look real.
If you receive this message, please delete it and tell the person who shared it with you to do the same and to stop sending the message out.
Always check that a URL doesn’t have any odd numbers or words at the start, if in doubt do not click on it and do a search for it instead.
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
George Albert Manning
George Manning served with Essex County Constabulary from 23 August 1946 and died on 26 December, 1976. On one of the last days of his 30 years' service, George was out on mobile patrol with a young officer when their vehicle was sent to a suspected burglary in progress at Hutton. The police vehicle was involved in a road accident en route. George and the constable were badly injured. George tried to release the trapped driver but collapsed in the process. Six weeks later, on Boxing Day 1976, he died from his injuries.
Harry Basil Wick
Harry Wick joined Essex County Constabulary on May 20, 1912 and after serving for three years at Colchester, he enlisted with the 19th Battalion Royal Fusiliers.
He entered the trenches near to the La Bassee Canal he died on December 28, 1915. Harry may have been killed in action on that day or could have been mortally wounded some days earlier and moved back to the dressing station at Cuinchy which was located close to the site of what is now Woburn Abbey Cemetery.
John Smith
Police Constable John Smith served with Essex County Constabulary from July 1, 1842 and gave his previous occupation as labourer, which could have meant many things. Little is known of John Smith's career in the force, but he spent at least two years at Coggeshall from June 1848, and from May 1853 was working at Great Wakering.
Just after Christmas in 1858 John met his death by drowning, whilst on duty, but it has not been possible to ascertain the circumstances which led to his death.
Joseph Benjamin Thomas
Special Corporal Joseph Thomas was the Curate of Radwinter, a small village about four miles from Saffron Walden. Around 10.50pm on the very stormy evening of 28th December 1914 Joseph Thomas left Police Constable Crickmore, the village constable of Radwinter, to go on patrol and meet Mr. L Drysdale, the Special Constable of Hempstead. When he failed to arrive and subsequently did not turn up at home the next morning the alarm was raised. Superintendent Boyce of Saffron Walden was informed of the circumstances.
Accompanied by Police Sergeant A.G. Neckolde and with the assistance of the local police, a search was made, with the result that Joseph Thomas' body was found drowned in three feet of water in a brook near Sellands Farm, Radwinter. His inquest, held on 31st December 1914, concluded that Joseph Thomas had probably slipped whilst crossing a bridge over the swollen brook and that he was carried away by the flood.
We're offering more ways of reporting non-emergency crime and anti-social behaviour through the digital 101 service on our website.
You can also use the service to contact your local policing team, tell us about something you have seen or heard, or request information.
We also have a 24-hour Live Chat service, where you can send direct messages to a digital 101 operator.
We still have our 24-hour 101 service which people can call if they feel it is more appropriate to speak to us or don't have access to the internet.
Always call 999 if a serious offence is in progress or has just been committed, someone is in immediate danger or harm, property is in danger or being damaged, or a serious disruption to the public is likely.
If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000.
British Sign Language (BSL) users please use our video relay service where an interpreter will help you report the crime to us.
If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions depending on whether you're calling from a mobile or a landline.
