News 8 January to 14 January
 Iain Green
Three men caught in the midst of a widespread conspiracy to supply drugs in bulk in Essex have been jailed for a combined 51 years.
This follows a lengthy investigation led by specialist officers within our Serious Organised Crime Unit.
It stemmed from Operation Venetic – a major operation involving the cracking of a bespoke encrypted global communication service.
EncroChat offered a secure mobile phone instant messaging service with 60,000 users worldwide and around 10,000 in the UK.
Since 2016, international law enforcement agencies worked together to target EncroChat and agencies in France and the Netherlands infiltrated the platform.
The intelligence gleaned through this was then shared via Europol to national law enforcement agencies.
Through studying messages garnered from the EncroChat infiltration in April 2020, officers identified Simon Renoldi, Iain Green, and Matthew Hutchinson as using the handles ‘Typicalknee’, ‘Harshwater’, and ‘Pineappletequila’ respectively.
Work by our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) safeguarded nearly 250 children last year from dangerous online offenders.
POLIT form part of Essex Police’s Crime and Public Protection strand and in 2024 were confirmed to be top in the country for securing charges in relation to online child abuse investigations.
Since the beginning of 2024, the team have carried out 210 warrants. As a result of these warrants and other investigative tactics, 146 arrests were made, and 247 children were successfully safeguarded.
The team are continuing to develop ways to stay one step ahead of online offenders. This includes cross border working with international colleagues to ensure vital information is shared to support safeguarding.
And with a solved rate of 75 per cent, this specialist team are at the forefront of disrupting and stopping online abuse.
Patrols in place to stop thefts of motor vehicles
We have been out on patrol across Westcliff, Chalkwell and Leigh after following an increase in people reporting their cars being stolen.
Uniformed Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been out on foot patrol and in marked police cars to deter potential thieves.
While officers in plain clothes and unmarked cars have been on the lookout for suspicious behaviour.
Our Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit work to tackle organised vehicle crime and last year recovered a record number of stolen vehicles. Every year the team are tracking down more stolen vehicles and building a bigger intelligence picture.
If you see any suspicious behaviour, please report it to us. You can give us information by using our Digital 101 service on our website. If you see a crime happening, then call us on 999.
Roads policing unit tackling uninsured drivers
Roads Policing Unit officers work with partners to tackle uninsured vehicles in Southend.
On Wednesday 8 January, the team worked with colleagues in the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) to take uninsured vehicles off our roads.
In just one day, 19 uninsured vehicles were seized.
In addition, 25 traffic offence reports were issued for various road related offences.
This vital partnership work means our dedicated Roads Policing Unit officers can ensure road safety across the county, keep the roads in Essex safe for everyone and work towards reducing the number of killed and seriously injured collisions.
This vital work will have taken some of the most dangerous vehicles off the roads, allowing us to protect all our communities and we will continue to carry out enforcement activities in 2025 through proactive patrols and OpScalis days of action.
It’s illegal to drive an uninsured vehicle – whether it’s a car, van or motorbike.
Make sure your vehicle is insured.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Tuesday 14 January between 10am - 11am
Cake O Clock Tea Room, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood
Wednesday 15 January between 2.45pm-3.15pm
Outside Milton Hall School, Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff
Thursday 16 January between 5pm - 6pm
Waitrose, Fossetts Way, Southend
Friday 17 January between 5pm-6pm
Outside Co op, London Road, Leigh
Saturday 18 January between 4pm - 5pm
Cliffs Pavilion, Station Road, Westcliff
Sunday 19 January between 6.30pm-7.30pm
Potters Hall Church, Coleman Street, Southend
Monday 20 January between 4pm - 5pm
Mcdonalds (top) High Street, Southend
Tuesday 21 January between 11am-12pm
Cubanos Cafe, Elmsleigh Drive, Leigh
Thursday 23 January between 12pm - 1pm
Waitrose, Fossetts Way, Southend
Thursday 23 January between 11am - 12pm
Wakey Wakey Cafe, London Rd, Leigh
Thursday 23 January between 10am - 11am
The Cafe, Eastern Esplanade, Southend
 Crime prevention advice
Stay safe this winter
Winter running can be refreshing, but it's important to stay safe. Wear bright, reflective clothing so you are visible to others, especially in low light conditions.
Be fraud smart
Scammers are experts in what they do, help stop them by learning about the different tactics they use.
Friends Against Scams is a quick online learning programme that can help you understand the different types of scams there are, how to spot them and how to support anyone you know who may have been a victim.
 My car has been stolen, what should I do?
You should contact the police using the non-emergency 101 number although if you consider the situation an emergency then use 999. The police may not send an officer out and you may be dealt with via the telephone. They will give you a crime reference number – you'll need this when you contact your insurance company to inform them what has happened or if you want to claim back your vehicle tax. The police will tell DVLA about the theft and if the vehicle is found.
If there is any evidence, for example, CCTV or items left behind by the thieves that may contain fingerprints then inform the police. Use gloves when handling any item for fingerprint examination and do not handle it any more than necessary.
If the thieves are arrested and charged with the offence then in appropriate circumstances they will appear before the court and be dealt with.
Informing your insurance company and the DVLA
Inform your insurance company of what has happened as soon as possible and keep them informed of any developments. They will explain what you need to do and how you can make an insurance claim.
|
