Detective Superintendent Natalia Ross is on a Mission to Tackle Sexual Violence
For Detective Superintendent Natalia Ross, a career in policing wasn’t always the plan. As a teenager, she imagined herself joining the army drawn to the structure and discipline it offered. But a teacher at college suggested she try volunteering with the police for a week; an experience that changed the course of her life.
"I had a really challenging and difficult childhood" Natalia explains. "We had very little and I struggled through my school years, so I thought the army would be a good career route for me. But my teacher convinced me the police were worth a try."
“I was hooked from day one,” she recalls. “Seeing how officers interacted with people, experiencing the fast-paced nature of the job—I knew instantly this was where I belonged.”
Now, with 22 years of service, Natalia is a leading force in Crime and Public Protection, working relentlessly to combat some of the most serious offences, including rape, serious sexual offences, and child abuse. As Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week highlights the ongoing need to support survivors and bring offenders to justice, Natalia’s work remains at the forefront of this fight.
Benfleet: Proactive work by officers puts two drug dealers behind bars
Proactive work by officers in Benfleet has ensured two men involved in dealing Class A drugs in the county are now serving time behind bars.
Officers stopped and searched a man on Thursday 10 October last year as part of proactive patrolling in the area of Parkfields and Queensmere.
They found a number of small bags believed to contain Class A drugs and Mirgen Morina from West London was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.
Officers also searched an address connected to the 21-year-old and found £4,500 in cash and suspected Class A drugs.
Thurrock: reducing vehicle crime across the district
This weekend, our officers have been tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across Thurrock as usual.
As well as responding to emergencies, they have also been patrolling the area to deter crime.
Vehicle crime is a particular focus at the moment even though 2024 saw a 13% drop in reported offences compared with the previous year.
But Sergeant Adam Priest, of Thurrock Community Policing Team, says there will be no let-up in either high-visibility patrols or patrols in unmarked cars.
The final leading member of the ‘Miami’ drug line has been jailed for seven years thanks to the commitment of our detectives.
Our investigation into this drug supply network was driven by Operation Raptor and Operation Orochi – specialist teams dedicated to tackling county lines gangs.
It began with a single text message advertising the sale of Class A drugs in the Braintree district.
This message proved to be the starting point in identifying the key players in the drug line, 27-year-old Fidel Barbosa and 31-year-old Shelton Alexander.
Alexander was arrested in a search of his home in Romford Road, London in October 2023.
A ‘Miami’ drug line phone, an estimated 28g of crack cocaine and heroin and around £2,500 in cash were seized.
Alexander admitted charges of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, as well as possessing criminal property.
He was jailed for five years and six months at Chelmsford Crown Court in November 2023.
Burglar sentenced following quick arrest by local officers
Officers alerted to reports of a burglary at a remote location in Braintree were at the scene of the incident within 20 minutes and then arrested the fleeing suspect within the hour.
On Saturday 22 June last year, a woman called 999 just before 8.30pm and told our call handler she had heard a loud noise and seen a man breaking into a house in Great Bardfield. She also said the man was holding a knife.
Officers, guided by colleagues in the National Police Air Service helicopter, searched the area and Christopher Searle was located travelling in a van in Coggeshall Road, Braintree.
He was promptly arrested and taken into custody. The 32-year-old told officers that he wasn’t a burglar and said that he was “being chased” and that “someone was trying to kill him”.
Searle admitted being at the location and said he had taken hallucinogenic drugs and believed people were chasing him and added he was trying to get some car keys so he could escape.
Chief Constable BJ Harrington will increase the visibility of Essex Police officers patrolling, responding to emergencies, and investigating crime in local communities.
Proposal made possible following £100m of extra Government funding announced on 31st January and is subject to Home Office grant approval in April;
Essex Police and Crime Panel approved the Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner’s precept increase following the Police & Crime Panel meeting at County Hall in Chelmsford on 4 February.
The Essex Police Fire & Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst’s update is on the PFCC's website.
DS Hayley Lambert and her team's fight against domestic abuse
As Sexual Abuse and Sexual Violence Awareness Week reminds us of the urgent need to support survivors and prevent harm, few people understand the battle better than Detective Sergeant (DS) Hayley Lambert.
For over two decades, she has dedicated her career to protecting the vulnerable, holding offenders accountable, and leading a team committed to stopping domestic abuse before it becomes fatal.
Domestic abuse is defined as an incident or a pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour. This can present itself in many forms, including coercive control; psychological and emotional abuse; physical or sexual abuse; financial or economic abuse; harassment and stalking and online/ digital abuse.
As this epidemic grows and adapts, so must the resilience and strength of DS Lambert's team - to tackle this crime head on.
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This week we remember
Walter Reeve
Walter Reeve joined Essex County Constabulary on 22 September 1890. His first posting was to Southend and after moves all over the county, he settled in Coggeshall with his wife and seven children. Shortly before 6pm one winter evening, Walter Reeve left his house on duty to walk into Kelvedon to serve some notices and make a point. He should have been home by midnight, and when he failed to return the alarm was raised. His body was later found in full uniform in the River Blackwater at Little Coggeshall, near a point where there were no guard rails. There were no signs of violence, and the coroner recorded an open verdict.
Felix Owen Warboys Pauley
Felix Pauley served with Essex County Constabulary from 26 April 1937. After posting to Romford and on mobile patrols at HQ and Clacton, he joined the R.A.F. on 29 September 1941. He was killed on an air operations on Wednesday 16 February 1944 which serving as Air Bomber with 106 Squadron. His Lancaster crashed on the way back from an operation in Berlin. Four crew, including Felix, died in the crash.
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.
