News 24 February to 2 March
 Meet Sergeant Mandy Turner
The journey to becoming an officer is often filled with diverse experiences and challenges. For one dedicated Sergeant, Mandy Turner, her path into Essex Police began in the motor trade, where she honed a variety of different skills. This background gave her a unique perspective and a strong foundation for her future at Essex Police.
Read more as Mandy shares her journey and experiences in Essex Police, highlighting her career path, challenges, and dedication to serving the community.
Detectives secure convictions in romance fraud case
Specialist officers from the Economic Crime Unit investigated a romance fraud involving fake online dating profiles, which led to significant financial losses for three men. The investigation, part of Operation Henhouse, revealed that once a friendly relationship was established, money was extracted from the victims under manipulative pretences. The total financial loss amounted to five figures.
As a result of the inquiries, Kerry Gray, 37, of Milwards, Harlow, was arrested on 25 February and charged with three counts of fraud by false representation. She appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 26 February, admitted to each charge, and is scheduled to appear again on 24 March.
 Drug dealers jailed
A significant policing operation launched last October in Southend led to a 40 percent reduction in serious violence and resulted in the arrest of two men. Warrants executed in Great Wakering and Shoebury on 4 November uncovered Class A drugs, cash, and weapons. Tommy Slingo, 28, and Callum Brighting, 22, were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of Class A drugs.
Slingo admitted to multiple offences, including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of offensive weapons, and was sentenced to two years and four months in prison. Brighting admitted to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession of criminal property, receiving a sentence of six years and ten months at Basildon Crown Court on 24 February.
 Countrywide stores ban and jail term for prolific shoplifter
A prolific shoplifter has been banned from several store chains across England and Wales for five years, thanks to work by our specialist Business Crime Team.
Sharron Lambert, 48, was arrested in Pier Avenue, Clacton, on 5 December 2024 by a keen-eyed town centre team officer who recognised her as wanted.
And she was jailed for a total of 41 weeks when she appeared before Colchester magistrates on 19 February 2025. She admitted six shop thefts and four breaches of a previous criminal behaviour order, which had banned her from stores she’d stolen from before.
As well as jailing her, magistrates imposed a new five-year criminal behaviour order to run until 18 February 2030. This forbids Lambert from entering any Co-op, Fiveways, Iceland and Marks and Spencer store in England and Wales, any retail store within the Clacton public spaces protection order area, Costcutter in The Street, Little Clacton, and Sainsbury’s in St John’s Road, Clacton.
Officers have charged a man after a lengthy investigation into a collision in Grays on 8 November 2023, which left two female runners seriously injured. The Serious Collision Investigation Unit arrested a 22-year-old man, on 26 November 2023.
He faces two charges of causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving and is due in Southend Magistrates’ Court on 17 March.
Cold Case Team make arrest in rape case from 1995
Police have arrested a 57-year-old man from Harlow on Wednesday 26 February on suspicion of a rape that occurred almost 30 years ago.
In April 1995 a 13-year-old girl was found by the police on Abercrombie Way, Harlow.
She described that she had been with her friend and speaking with a group of unknown men who were in a car close to the BP garage on Southern Way. She was then sexually assaulted and raped by the suspects in the car.
Now officers have arrested a 57-year-old man from Harlow on connection with this investigation.
 Brentwood: Drink drive arrest after A12 and M25 pursuit
A man was arrested after a pursuit on the A12 after officers recognised a threat to other road users when a car was spotted veering between lanes, with the driver noticeably on his phone.
The car had initially failed to stop when directed in Margaretting shortly before 1.30am on Thursday 27 February.
Officers then safely followed the car onto the M25. In that time, separate officers had been able to set up a stinger device which was used as the car entered the A13.
A number of units then safely brought the car to a stop using a box-in tactic, meaning all other road users were kept safe at all times.
A man was breathalysed at the scene and arrested on suspicion of drink driving and failing to stop.
Man jailed following investigation into threatening online messages
Officers worked closely with international law enforcement teams to secure a conviction against a Harlow man whose online comments were described in court as “racist”, “homophobic” and “misogynistic”, including threats to harm.
The investigation is believed to be one of the first cases brought to court by Essex Police using the new Online Safety Act 2023.
 Convicted: Barry Farrant
Child abuse victims speak up to “safeguard the next generation”
“I gain no pleasure from speaking up, and struggle to think of strangers seeing this side of me, but what feels right is knowing that by doing this I can play a small part in safeguarding the next generation against the very real monsters threatening to take away another childhood.”
That is the message from one survivor of the abuse carried out in Essex more than 20 years ago.
Sixty-seven-year-old Barry Farrant sexually abused his victims in Essex in the 1990s and 2000s, before they came forward and spoke to officers in 2020.
After years of investigation by our Child Abuse Investigation Team, he was charged with seven charges of indecent assault of a girl under the age of 14 and five charges of gross indecency with a girl under the age of 14 in July 2023.
A man from Dover has been charged with hunting a wild mammal with dogs and of causing danger to road users after an incident on the M11 near Saffron Walden on 24 November.
Police had received several reports of a man on foot on the M11 near Junction 8, causing disruption to motorists.
He is due to appear before Chelmsford magistrates on 21 March.
Drug drive arrest as officers keep you safe on the road
A man’s been arrested and his car seized by officers working proactively to keep Basildon’s roads safe.
Officers stopped a vehicle suspected of speeding and showing as having as having no insurance at around 9.30pm on Sunday 23 February.
A 34 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drug driving as a result of the stop and the vehicle was seized for not having any insurance.
 Do you have a doorbell camera or CCTV?
Your CCTV could help us to solve real crimes.
Register your CCTV and doorbell cameras with us and receive alerts when your footage may help us catch criminals operating in your area.
It takes just 60 seconds to add your details to our secure police system and within minutes, you could be helping us solve serious crimes. You’ll just add your name, address, email and the number of cameras you control.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 3 March
9:30am to 12pm
Epping Market, High Street, Epping
10:30am to 11:30am
The Orchards Cafe, Mascalls Way, Great Baddow, Chelmsford
10:30am to 12pm
Village Hall, Crawley End, Chrishall
Tuesday 4 March
7am to 9am
Rayleigh Train Station, Station Road Rayleigh Essex SS6 7HJ
10am to 12pm
Oasis Cafe, Frinton Free Church, Connaught Avenue, Frinton on Sea.
11am to 12pm
Outside M&S, 62 High Street, Chelmsford
12pm to 12:30pm
South Essex College, High Street, Grays
12pm to 1pm
McDonalds Hadleigh, 124 High Street, Hadleigh, Benfleet
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, Somnes Avenue, Canvey Island
Wednesday 5 March
10:30am to 11:30am
Chelmsford Library Chelmsford County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford
11am to 12pm
Tilbury Hub, Civic Square
11am to 12pm
First site, Lewis Gardens, Colchester
12pm to 1pm
Marks & Spencer Foodhall, 12-24 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh SS6 7JQ
1:30pm to 2:30pm
Oxygen Rayleigh, 26a Brook Road, Rayleigh SS6 7XL
5pm to 6pm
Benfleet Rail station, Ferry Road, Benfleet
Thursday 6 March
10am to 1pm
The Chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, Southminster
10:30am to 11:30am
Impulse Leisure Cafe, Blackshots Lane, Grays
11am to 12pm
Fyfield Village Hall, Houchin Drive, Ongar
11am to 12pm
Knightswick Centre, Foksville Road, Canvey Island
1pm to 2pm
Clements Hall Leisure Centre, Hawkwell SS5 4LN
3:30pm to 4:30pm
Mcdonalds (top of High Street near Odeon), Highstreet, Southend,
4pm to 5pm
Morrisons - Northwick Road, Canvey Island
Friday 7 March
11am to 12pm
Cake O'Clock Tea Room, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood
11am to 1pm
Brentwood High Street,
11am to 12pm
The Tea O'clock Tea Shop, 410 Rayleigh Road, Leigh on Sea
1pm to 2pm
Curzon Cinema, Queen Street, Colchester
3pm to 4pm
Home Bargains Airport Retail Park, Rochford Road, Rochford, SS2 6FW
5pm to 6pm
Starbucks, Sheepen Road, Colchester
Saturday 8 March
10am to 11am
Sainsburys, Cricketers Retail Park, Cricketers Way, Basildon
10am to 12pm
Roydon Village Market, Roydon Village Hall, Harlow Road, Roydon
10am to 11am
Manningtree Market, Marketplace, Manningtree.
10:30am to 11:30am
Belle Vue Baptist Church, Belle Vue Avenue, Southend SS1 2QZ
12pm to 1pm
The Mill Arts & Events Centre, Bellingham Lane, Rayleigh SS6 7ED
Sunday 9 March
2pm to 3pm
Belfairs Woodland Centre, Eastwood Road North, Leigh
For full details of upcoming events, please visit the Essex Police website and enter your postcode.
 Keep your number plate secure
Did you know stolen number plates are often used to hide vehicles involved in crimes or to avoid paying tolls and parking fees?
Keep your vehicle's number plate safe by using one-way clutch head screws to secure your plates and deter thieves.
Be fraud smart
Romance Fraud: Let's talk tactics
The gift card scam involves you purchasing gift cards and sending the codes to the fraudster as payment.
Prepaid gift cards are readily available in many stores, untraceable, and can be quickly converted to cash.
Be sceptical if someone asks for a gift card as payment, especially if they request large amounts or claim it's urgent.
 Join our team
Police staff jobs
Restorative and Mediation Service Co-ordinator £32,244
Technical Capital Accountant £56,073
Vehicle Technician £38,754
Forensic Collision Investigator £40,890
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
 This week we remember
 David Roy Worsfold
David Worsfold served his first three years of police service on D shift at Tilbury before transferring to Rayleigh Traffic as a motorcyclist in January 1981. In November of the following year he moved to Laindon as a member of the first official motorcycle squad to be based there. On 5 March 1987 he was a passenger in a police traffic car patrolling on the A127 at Basildon. The car ran out of control and David was killed.
Walter George Sutch
Walter Sutch joined Essex Constabulary as Police Constable 110. Nine months later he volunteered for military service and was enlisted as Lance Corporal M2/106189 of 401st Mechanical Transport Company of the Army Service Corps. Little is known of his Military Service other than that he was posted to 1st/2nd (Lancashire) Heavy Battery and served on the Western Front.
On March 7, 1916, aged twenty, he died suffering from diabetes whilst still on active service.
Read more about other Essex officers on the Essex Police Memorial Trust website.
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