News 19 November to 25 November
 Pc Mat Parker
It is with great sadness that we confirm the identity of our police officer who tragically died in the line of duty while responding to an emergency.
PC Mathew Parker, a motorcycle officer with the Chigwell Roads Policing Unit, died on Wednesday, 19 November, at 12:25pm on the A12.
PC Parker - known as Mat to his loved ones - was responding to an emergency when the collision occurred on a stretch of road near Ingatestone.
At this stage, we do not believe any other vehicle was involved. Sadly, PC Parker, died at the scene.
Mat joined Essex Police in 2010 and served his entire career in West Essex, including on the Loughton Local Policing Team and, most recently, the Chigwell Roads Policing Team. He was passionate about motorbikes and the proud owner of a much-loved Harley Davidson.
He leaves behind his beloved wife, daughters, parents, brother, sisters, nieces, and nephews.
Our neighbourhood policing officers chased down a shoplifting suspect in Southend after they spotted him walking down the street, basket still in hand.
He quickly dropped it as our officers jumped out of their patrol car, swiftly caught up with him and arrested him on suspicion of shop theft.
Sergeant Steve Wells, of Southend Neighbourhood Policing Team, says the arrest ‘shows a good robust response to retail crime’.
The 27-year-old Southend man had piled £47.05 of goods into a basket at Tesco Express in Southchurch Road on 16 November and left without paying. Officers patrolling in the vicinity were alerted and spotted him nearby.
The man admitted shop theft and was later issued with a community resolution, which bans him from entering the Tesco Express store.
Last week, across Essex, our officers made 40 arrests on suspicion of shop theft.
While, in the 12 months to October 31, they made a total of 1,446 arrests for shop theft. During the same period, they solved 986 more shop theft offences compared with the year to 31 October 2024.
 An Essex Police business crime officer checks a display of knives and other sharp implements for sale in a shop. The Challenge 25 poster warns purchasers that they will be challenged for proof of age if they appear to be under 25
Our Business Crime Team works with retailers across Essex to help prevent knife crime.
By encouraging stores which sell knives to sign up to our Responsible Retailers scheme, they are helping to limit the opportunities for knives to fall into the wrong hands.
Inspector Terry Jacobs says retailers are very supportive of the voluntary scheme and we want more to join.
“We know that most knives bought from shops are not used in crime but some are and that is why we work with retailers to prevent knives from being bought or stolen to be used as a weapon.
“When it comes to knife sales, we focus on the four As – availability, affordability, attractiveness and accessibility.
“So anything that makes it harder for people, especially young people, to get hold of knives is a step in the right direction.”
The Responsible Retailers scheme reminds retail staff of their legal responsibilities and provides advice on how to safely and securely store and display knives and other sharp implements, such as scissors.
 Chief Inspector Sam Girdlestone discusses the issue of violence against women and girls and talks about what we're doing to tackle it.
Essex Police proudly supports the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Running from 25 November to 10 December, it’s a chance to amplify our commitment to ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) through strong partnerships, visible policing, and victim support. No single organisation can solve this alone – collaboration is key.
"The most pressing issue of our time"
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington says:
“Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of the most pressing issues of our time. When half of the population cannot feel safe, whether in public or in their own homes, it becomes a national crisis, and we will not ignore it."Tackling VAWG is a top priority for us, and we are relentless in pursuing offenders, working with Community Safety Partnerships, voluntary organisations to create safer spaces, and challenging harmful behaviours in our communities.
"We are also adapting every day to new threats, including those in the cyber world, because vigilance is key.
"I encourage everyone to think about how we interact with those around us and the impact our behaviour can have. Let’s make sure our actions reflect respect and care. And to anyone experiencing abuse: please report it.
"We are here to listen, to protect, and to act. Together, we can make Essex a safer place for everyone.”
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Thursday 27 November between 5pm - 6pm
Co-operative, London Road, Leigh
Tuesday 2 December between 11am-12pm
Ironworks, Leigh Community Centre, Elm Road, Leigh
Saturday 6 December between 12pm-2pm
The Victoria Shopping Centre, Chartwell Square, Southend
 Crime prevention advice
Sort Your Settings
As Black Friday approaches this week, we are excited to relaunch our popular Sort Your Settings campaign, continuing our commitment to helping families stay safe online during the busiest shopping season of the year. First introduced in 2022, this initiative provides parents and guardians with practical, easy-to-follow advice to protect children from online risks - especially as festive deals and digital purchases surge.
Our refreshed Sort Your Settings webpage includes:
- Updated guidance on popular games and social media platforms.
- Step-by-step instructions for enabling parental controls. Including new advice about security settings on routers; popular smart devices like the echo dot and Google ‘Forget Me’
- Information on age ratings, chat settings, and privacy tools.
- Tips on avoiding online scams and cyber threats - like software updates, and phishing prevention.
Be fraud smart
Watch out for scammers this Black Friday
With Black Friday around the corner, criminals will create fake websites advertising products at rock-bottom prices that never materialise. If in doubt don’t click on the link, instead search for the organisation and take some time to read the entries on the results page to check it is genuine.
 Visit the Essex Police website for last week's crime data. Especially useful to Essex Watch and Neighbourhood Watch groups.
 I have got a forged bank note, what should I do?
If you are a shop owner or employee and you know or suspect the person who has passed it to you, put the note in a bag to preserve any fingerprint evidence and hand the note into the nearest police station. If there is no suspect the police may not get involved and you should therefore hand the note into a bank.
As a shop owner/business owner you should contact your local crime prevention officer who will be able to advise you on preventing further instances of this happening, and can ascertain whether there are any other shops or businesses in the area that has received any so that appropriate action can be taken. Also see the website in Related Information for more details.
If you are a customer and have been passed a forged bank note in your change, hand the forged bank note into the local police station and give the details, if at all possible, of where you were given it. The police will keep the note as evidence.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES try to use or pass on a forged bank note to someone else, the penalty could be up to 10 years in prison and it just isn't worth the risk.
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