Retired Essex Detective awarded King's Police Medal
A career detective who has dedicated more than 31 years of his life to policing has been awarded the King’s Police Medal.
Former temporary Assistant Chief Constable Kevin Baldwin, who retired from Essex Police last year, received the prestigious policing honour recognising a life dedicated to public service, protecting and serving victims and investigative excellence.
Meet Harlow District Commander, Chief Inspector Jenna Mirrington-French
Harlow’s new District Commander, Chief Inspector Jenna Mirrington-French, has said continuing to reduce violence and drug-driven crime are two of her top priorities.
Crime in Harlow has fallen by 11% in the past 12 months with 1,250 fewer offences reported, and anti-social behaviour is down by 21%.
Burglary (-44%), vehicle offences (-35%) and theft (-18.5%) have all seen considerable drops. Violence and robbery have both decreased by 5%.
“The team have been successful in reducing levels of offending,” said Ch Insp Mirrington-French, “and I want to make sure we build on that positive work.
“We will have a real focus on violence, knife crime, and drug-driven acquisitive crime like shoplifting and theft.
“We know where our hotspots are, and we are getting our officers in the right places at the right times.
“The new Neighbourhood Policing Team, which is an expanded version of the old community policing team, will also help to boost visibility and problem-solving at a local level with five additional officers working to prevent crime, catch offenders and solve cases.”
Dog walker compensates farmer following sheep death
A man who allowed two dogs to terrify a flock of pregnant ewes in a field near Ingatestone will pay compensation to the farmer, following an investigation by a specialist rural engagement officer.
The 55-year-old was walking the dogs off-lead down a lane on 29 March 2025 when they ran into a nearby field and frightened the sheep.
In the panic, one ewe – pregnant with three lambs - went into immediate shock and later died, while another got tangled in brambles and barbed wire attempting to flee.
Subsequently, a third ewe rejected her two newborn lambs, again because of the trauma she suffered.
Two men have been arrested in connection with a series of thefts from Boots stores in Clacton and Frinton, involving thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods between March and June. Tendring's Neighbourhood Policing Team led the investigation, identifying suspects and making arrests on 11 June.
Cornel Ion, 39, of no fixed address, has been charged with 11 counts of theft and one count of driving without valid insurance. He is also linked to separate theft offences in Suffolk. Ion is scheduled to appear at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 12 June.
Peter Rushton, a 43-year-old man from Southminster, has received an 18-week suspended prison sentence and a five-year Restraining Order after a two-year campaign of harassment against a couple. Despite multiple warnings and failing to appear in court, he was found guilty of criminal damage, harassment without violence, and breaching a community protection notice. His actions included using CCTV to monitor and harass the victims, playing alarms, and damaging property.
The case was brought to court through the efforts of a neighbourhood policing officer and Maldon District Council, who addressed both the harassment and related noise complaints. Rushton was sentenced at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 9 June and fined £650. Authorities emphasized the seriousness of anti-social behaviour and encouraged victims to report such incidents.
Sextortion is a growing online crime where scammers trick people into sharing intimate photos or videos, then threaten to share them unless they get money or more content. It often starts with manipulation or deception, such as a promise of love, a fake relationship, or other emotional connections, before threatening to release private materials unless demands are met.
DCI Rob Huddleston, who leads investigations and supports sextortion victims in North Essex, says:
"This exploitation leaves victims feeling unsafe and vulnerable, but together we can stop these criminals."
"By educating and spreading awareness of their tactics, we can protect ourselves and our children."
Richard Lewis, a 38-year-old man with no fixed address, has been jailed following persistent harassment and abuse of vulnerable individuals in Southend. Despite being issued a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) by Southend Magistrates’ Court on 5 April, which prohibited him from begging, swearing, or intimidating the public, Lewis continued to target people—particularly children and the disabled—by aggressively begging and coercing them into giving him money. The CBO also barred him from sitting outside shops, entering specific tower blocks, and approaching people for goods or money within the city.
On 6 May, Lewis was arrested on Southend High Street and charged with four public order offences, assault, and four breaches of his CBO. He admitted to all charges and, on 29 May, was sentenced to six months in prison. Additionally, the court extended his CBO until 2030, reinforcing restrictions aimed at protecting the public from his repeated antisocial behaviour.
Warm tributes have been paid to a “wonderful” mother-of-two after a fatal collision in Southend.
Carly Hicks, 37, from Shoeburyness, sadly died in hospital after a single-vehicle collision in Royal Artillery Way shortly before 11.30pm on Tuesday 20 May.
Her family said:
“We have been left heartbroken after our beautiful Carly lost her life.
“She leaves behind two devastated children, whose lives will never be the same.
“Her loss leaves a huge hole in our family which can never be filled.
“Carly was a wonderful mum with a great sense of humour. She had a loving, caring personality and brought a lot of love and joy to her family and friends.”
As the summer season brings festivals, holidays, and large gatherings across Essex, we are stepping up our efforts to keep communities safe through Project Servator - a policing tactic designed to disrupt a range of criminal activity, and enhance security in public spaces, while providing a reassuring presence in public spaces.
Project Servator involves highly visible and unpredictable police deployments. These patrols are carried out by specially trained officers who are skilled in identifying suspicious behaviour and working closely with our community and partners to deter crime.
The approach is supported by a range of resources, including plain clothes officers, police dogs, armed units, CCTV operators and much more. The goal is simple: to make it difficult for criminals to operate while reassuring the public that their safety is our top priority.
641 arrests for shop theft across Essex in first five months of this year
Officers in our expanded neighbourhood policing teams have taken over shop theft investigations.
Between 1 January and 8 June this year, 678 people were arrested on suspicion of shop theft across Essex.
Some of them are prolific offenders – people who have 15 or more previous convictions or cautions. And our neighbourhood policing teams will be looking at ways to divert them from their repeat offending.
One way they can do this is by applying to the courts for special court orders, known as criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) to be imposed on habitual lawbreakers. Currently, 100 people who have targeted stores across Essex are subject to a CBO, which generally runs for between two and five years.
It is an approach pioneered by our specialist Business Crime Team, who saw CBOs as a potential way of tackling shop thefts. CBOs are more usually imposed for persistent anti-social behaviour.
Arrests for shoplifting and associated offences are made by our officers locally and our business crime officers initially assisted them in applying to the courts for CBOs to be imposed on shoplifters.
"The suspects in this case never stood a chance of escaping"
Watch as our covert firearms officers execute a vehicle stop on A127 to catch suspects following a knife point robbery in the Greenwich area.
Working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and National Police Air Service - the vehicle was spotted entering Essex and travelling towards Basildon.
Our covert firearms officers executed a safe and controlled vehicle stop, arresting four suspects and preventing the need for a pursuit or any further risk to the public.
Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer Bliss, head of our Force Support Unit, said:
"The suspects in this case never stood a chance of escaping.
“The work of our covert firearms officers means criminals regularly don’t know we’re about to strike until it’s too late.
“My teams operate with minimum fanfare, but they support local policing and patrol our roads every day – working effectively as response officers and pursuit specialists where needed.
“We have many tools in our arsenal to keep the public of Essex safe.”
Sometimes you just catch people red-handed ...
Watch as an Essex Police officer finds suspected Class A drugs, £400, a knuckle duster and loose number plates after he stops a driver for speeding in Canvey.
Across Essex, we’re targeting people causing harm in our neighbourhoods – and we won’t stop.
We know stop and searches can be seen as an unwelcome disruption…especially to those who commit crime in Essex!
But we value our neighbourhoods and your safety is always our priority.
We stop. We search. For a safer Essex.
Let's talk
Upcoming community police events across Essex this week
Monday 16 June
3pm to 3:30pm Henham Community Store, High Street, Henham
3pm to 4pm Lakeside Shopping Centre (Level 2, outside Primark), West Thurrock Way
6pm to 7pm Black Lion, High Roding
Tuesday 17 June
10am to 12pm Morrisons, Regiment Business Park, Eagle Way, Little Waltham, Chelmsford
10am to 11am Bianca's coffee shop, High Street, Walton on the Naze.
10am to 11am Morrisons Supermarket, Centenary Way, Little Clacton
2pm to 3pm Outside Jubilee Beach Office, Marine Parade, Southend
Visit our website for full advert, job descriptions and application form.
This week we remember
David Miller Kirk
David Kirk served with Colchester Borough Constabulary from 1934. In December 1939 David joined the Royal Artillery as a Lieutenant. He was killed on Friday, 16th June 1944 whilst serving as Major 148698 with 301 Battery, 127 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. David Miller Kirk was buried in grave I.C.14 at the Ranville War Cemetery in Calvados, France.
John Henry Coventry
John Coventry served with Essex County Constabulary from 23 April 1923. He joined the Royal Navy as a fifteen year-old, serving from 27 September 1915 until his 23rd birthday. After leaving the navy he worked briefly as a kitchen hand at The London Hospital, Whitechapel Road in Bow, before joining Essex County Constabulary on 23 April 1923. He died on Sunday 20 June 1943, aged 43, at Durban in South Africa whilst serving as Petty Officer Regulating C/M 40309 on the depot/repair ship H.M.S. Wayland, Royal Navy.
Rodney ‘Rod’ John Leake
Rod Leake joined Essex and Southend-on-Sea Joint Constabulary on 6th July 1972 and was initially stationed at Basildon. His aptitude for driving and motorcycles brought him to the attention of the Traffic Division and he was subsequently posted to Chelmsford Traffic.
At 11.08am on Thursday, 20th June 1996 he was on routine motorcycle patrol on the B1019 road near Ulting, known as Doe's Corner, when he was in a collision with a lorry. He subsequently died from his injuries at Broomfield Hospital. He left a widow, Joan, and two children, Susan and Michael.
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague Peter Taylor who retired as an Inspector in 1988 and served with the Southend Borough, Basildon & Southend.
He passed away on 3rd June 2025 aged 88 years.
Richard Day
The Chief Constable regrets to inform you of the sad death of our former colleague Richard Day who retired as a Constable in 2003 and served at Shoebury & Southend.
He passed away on the 25th May 2025 aged 76 years.
When and how to contact the Police
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.
