News 9 April to 16 April
 Josh Parsons and a 17 year-old boy will be sentenced on 8 May
Two people who were tracked by police in the days after a violent incident in Southend have been convicted after a detailed investigation left them no choice but to admit their guilt.
We were called at 4.30pm on Saturday 5 October to reports of a man in his 20s who had been found with stab wounds in Rayleigh Road.
He was taken to hospital for treatment but fortunately his injuries were not life-threatening.
Through early investigation work, we identified that the victim had been seen to be chased by a group of people who had got out of two vehicles.
A number of targeted arrests took place in the days following the incident.
Two of those arrested, 24-year-old Josh Parsons, of Baxter Avenue, Southend and a 17-year-old boy from Southend, appeared in Basildon Crown Court on Tuesday 1 April.
The 17-year-old admitted GBH with intent and possession of a bladed article whilst Parson admitted violent disorder and possession of a bladed article.
Both will be sentenced at the same court on Thursday 8 May.
We’re investigating an incident in Southend during which a man sustained a head injury.
We were alerted to the incident at 9.40pm last night, Friday 11 April, at the junction of High Street and Weston Road.
A man aged in his 20s had sustained a head injury which was not life-changing or life-threatening but did require hospital treatment.
He has since been discharged.
At this stage, no arrests have been made and we’re progressing a number of lines of enquiry.
If you witnessed this incident or have any mobile phone or dashcam footage of it, please get in touch.
Home burglary is down more than 22% in Essex – the equivalent of 850 fewer victims - as our commitment to neighbourhood policing and bringing offenders to justice continues.
Superintendent Tim Tubbs, the force’s strategic lead for burglary, says:
“Teams across the county have a relentless focus on tackling this crime.
"Collaborative working with our partners ensures crime prevention is shared with some of the most vulnerable people, helping them take steps to protect their homes.
"We know just how devastating a crime it can be, and our locally based investigators are committed to supporting victims and bringing criminals to justice.”
In March we made more than 350 arrests in connection with ongoing burglary investigations, some offenders were connected with up to 10 different offences.
And we are solving more offences, 273 in the last 12 months, up by 66 (3.9%) on this time last year.
Our focus is on preventing burglaries, targeting repeat offenders and organised crime groups and solving as many burglaries as we can.
Like all forces, we are committed to sending officers to every home burglary that’s reported to us.
Over the past year, we have attended 99% of the burglaries that were in progress or had just happened.
We have arrested five men in connection with a series of vehicle thefts across Essex, with cars believed to be stolen and sold on for criminal gain.
Five teams of officers from Southend and Castle Point & Rochford Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs), with support from our Operational Support Group and Dog Unit, targeted addresses in Southend, Basildon, Westcliff and Leigh early on Tuesday 15 April 2025.
A 33-year-old from Leigh, a 31-year-old from Westcliff, and two men from Southend aged 27 and 34, were all arrested and taken into custody for questioning. A fifth man aged 40 from Basildon handed himself in at Southend Police Station later the same day and was also arrested and taken into custody.
Four of the men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles and of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group. The 34-year-old from Southend was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, only.
Using hydraulics and rams, we forced entry to the addresses. Officers seized multiple car keys and vehicle log books, bicycles and mobile phones, as well as hundreds of pounds of cash and suspected Class A and Class B drugs.
Several tools believed to be used in the theft of vehicles were also seized.
 Marine Unit patrols to tackle anti-social behaviour on Essex coastline
Our marine officers have begun their regular spring and summer patrols to tackle and deter anti-social behaviour along the Essex coastline.
Operation Wave-Breaker was launched in 2021 by our Marine Unit in response to anti-social behaviour caused by personal watercraft. Since the patrols started, reported incidents have dropped by two-thirds.
Key locations for our officers, along the shoreline and on the water, include Point Clear on the River Colne, West Mersea and Steeple Bay on the River Blackwater and Southend sea front, where the city council has a public spaces protection order in place.
You can find a lot of useful information, including our Personal Watercraft Code of Conduct, on our website.
Report crime and anti-social behaviour to us at www.essex.police.uk/ro
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Wednesday 16 April 2pm to 3pm
Havens, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff
Wednesday 30 April 10am to 12pm
Fraud Event at Natwest, Southend High Street, Southend
 Driving after drinking alcohol
There is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit, since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you've eaten and other factors.
It's impossible to get alcohol out of your system quickly, it always takes time. A shower, a cup of coffee or other ways of ‘sobering up’ may make you feel better but won’t remove the alcohol from your system.
If you've been out drinking, you may still be affected by alcohol the next day and could lose your licence if you drive and are still over the legal limit.
Alcohol affects everyone differently and any amount can impair your ability to drive. The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving as even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit.
If you’re driving, don’t drink any alcohol at all.
If a driver kills someone while under the influence of alcohol, they can be charged with causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. Since 28 June 2022, the maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
Be fraud smart
Friends Against Scams
Help stop fraudsters 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 fraud and how to spot them. Search for ‘Essex Friends Against Scams’ Fraud investigations can be complex and lengthy, often requiring collaboration across forces.
Last month, our teams made 18 arrests and seized or froze £891,859 in assets. Last week a man was convicted for defrauding a grieving family.
 I have bought an item from eBay /or other auction site, sent the money and the item has not arrived...
Although there are other internet auction sites, eBay is a popular site and using them as an example is not in any way an indication that they are at fault or are anything other than a reputable auction site.
According to eBay, most of the disputes are merely misunderstandings and can be resolved through buyer and seller communication. If not, eBay offer a dispute resolution service, more details of this service can be found on their website.
The Citizens Advice have a dedicated Consumer Advice Helpline (0808 223 1133) which you can contact, if something has gone wrong with a purchase. Useful information can also be found on their website, please see the links in Related Information for further details.
If a dispute resolution service does not resolve the matter and you believe you have been the victim of a crime rather than a misunderstanding, you can make a report to your local police either via their 101 or via their online reporting form. Please see the link in Related Information for force contact details. If you or the other party are overseas you will need to make the initial report to your local police force who will then make enquiries with any other force if appropriate.
The police service cannot and will not check the buyers or sellers details prior to you making the purchase/sale. If you are in any doubt at all about the buyer/sellers authenticity then do not go ahead with the purchase/sale, see question in related information for tips on buying goods from the internet.
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