News 9 February to 15 February
 Under the Radar: Project launched to protect young women and girls from exploitation
Essex Police and the Active Essex Foundation (AEF) have launched a pioneering pilot project designed to support girls and young women aged 11–24 in Basildon and Thurrock who are at risk of, involved in, or affected by criminal and sexual exploitation.
Under the Radar has been developed in response to growing concerns about the increasing involvement of girls in serious youth violence, drug‑driven crime and exploitation.
Despite these escalating risks, many girls remain unseen by traditional safeguarding processes, going ‘under the radar’ of agencies who may not identify them as victims, perpetrators, or individuals in need of early intervention. This new initiative aims to close that gap.
Under the Radar offers a holistic and trauma‑informed support package centred around the unique and often hidden experiences of exploited girls.
 Waltham Abbey: Drugs line dismantled and dealer jailed for 45 months
A drugs line operating in Waltham Abbey has been dismantled following an in‑depth Operation Raptor investigation that identified Daniel Ikumelo, 35, as the holder of the “Scott” drug line and the dealer responsible for delivering crack cocaine and heroin.
Detectives traced incriminating messages on his phone spanning February 2024 to October 2025, confirming he was actively supplying drugs. Ikumelo, from Hackney, was arrested after officers spotted suspicious activity in a Waltham Abbey alleyway, and he was later convicted of being concerned in supplying heroin and crack cocaine, possessing criminal property, and carrying a lock knife.
Searches of Ikumelo, his vehicle, and a linked three‑storey house in Barking uncovered heroin, crack cocaine, £40,000 in cash and jewellery, burner phones, digital scales, and weapons. Officers estimated the drugs line earned more than £80,000 in seven months, and the value of the Barking property was inconsistent with Ikumelo’s legitimate income. On 2 February, he was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to 45 months in prison, and two further drugs‑supply charges were ordered to lie on file.
 Free cyber resilience resource to help protect your organisation
If you’re connected to any business, charity, public authority, or organisation, there’s a free service designed to help protect it from cybercrime. If that’s not you, please signpost to friends, family or colleagues who may benefit.
Online threats such as ransomware, data breaches, and account takeovers are disrupting organisations every day. Whether you run a shop, café, hotel, factory, Airbnb, or you’re a sole trader, charitable trust, or not for profit using email, social media, websites, computers, or any internet enabled devices, the Cyber Resilience Centres exist to help protect you.
These centres provide a public service offering access to training, tools, and guidance that help identify and fix vulnerabilities before criminals exploit them. The training helps staff spot risks, reduces disruption, and supports your data protection and GDPR responsibilities.
Most people know the basics of cyber security, such as:
- Passwords: use three random words, 12+ characters
- Two step verification: turn on 2SV/2FA/MFA wherever possible
- Updates: keep systems and software up to date
- Backups: keep secure copies of important information
- Training: ensure staff know what to look out for as one wrong click can compromise an entire network
But after the basics, cyber security can feel complicated, expensive, or overwhelming. Many organisations want to improve their cyber resilience but don’t know where to start or can’t afford specialist support.
That’s where the Cyber Resilience Centre for the East can help. We are one of nine Home Office funded centres across the UK, a collaboration between policing, academia, and the private sector. We provide funded, practical cyber security support tailored to your organisation’s needs.
Membership gives you access to the essential information you were never taught at school. We can help when you’re stuck, keep you updated on the latest threats, and offer free webinars that demystify topics such as securing your website or understanding how criminals target organisations online.
Membership is completely free and takes only a few minutes to set up. Protect your organisation by joining today.
 Thief jailed after handing himself in to neighbourhood officers
Roy Simmons, 48, has been jailed for 59 weeks after handing himself in to police knowing he was wanted for a series of thefts from BP garages across Essex.
Between September 2025 and January 2026, he stole more than £5,700 worth of goods including steaks, salmon, ready meals, cheese, snacks, chocolate and fuel from garages in Billericay, Basildon, Laindon, Stanford‑le‑Hope, Orsett, Wickford and South Woodham Ferrers. During one incident, he threw a bottle of water at a staff member who confronted him. Simmons contacted police on 3 February and arranged his own arrest in Laindon.
He admitted six shop thefts, four counts of making off without payment, assault by beating, possession of cannabis and failing to provide a Class A drugs test. The court activated a previous 24‑week suspended sentence and added a further 35 weeks, giving a total of 59 weeks in prison. Simmons, of Nether Priors, Basildon, was also handed a five‑year criminal behaviour order banning him from all BP garages in Essex, ordered to pay £200 compensation to the assaulted staff member, and had his cannabis forfeited and destroyed.
 South Woodham Ferrers: Community intelligence leads to jail for drug dealer
A drug dealer was arrested after members of the public reported his activities in South Woodham Ferrers to police, a court has heard.
After 21-year-old Vison Tahiaraj was jailed on 3 February for two years and one month for possession with intent to supply cocaine, Sergeant Matt Dalby, of Maldon Neighbourhood Policing Team, said officers rely on information from the public to assist their investigations.
 Southend: Manslaughter charges over death of Simon Dobbin
Detectives investigating the death of Simon Dobbin have secured manslaughter charges against 12 men.
On 21 March 2015 Simon travelled to Southend to watch his beloved Cambridge United play Southend United. After the match, Simon was subjected to a sustained and violent attack, and which left him with injuries that changed his life.
Following the attack, and due to the injuries he had sustained, Simon received 24-hour care from his family. Sadly, in October 2020, Simon died.
Today, we can confirm the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised manslaughter charges against 12 men. All 12 are due to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday 31 March.
 Force partners with First Charge to power electric vehicles at Basildon depot
Essex Police has partnered with First Charge, the third-party electric vehicle charging initiative from First Bus, to support the continued rollout of electric vehicles.
Through the partnership, Essex Police is using high-power charging infrastructure at First Bus’s Basildon depot to support its growing electric fleet, which this year will increase to 50 electric vehicles. The force expects this to increase the number of electric vehicles in its fleet, as part of its longer-term ambition to decarbonise a fleet of just under 800 vehicles.
Essex Police began transitioning vehicles to electric in 2022, initially using the public charging network. As the electric fleet has expanded, access to reliable, high-capacity charging has become critical to operational delivery.
Charging vehicles at First Bus’s Basildon depot provides secure, high-power infrastructure to support the continued rollout of electric vehicles while reducing reliance on public charging provision.
 Southend: Disqualified drug‑driver convicted over crash that killed woman
Disqualified driver Lee Rance, 43, has been convicted after causing a fatal collision in Southend while high on multiple drugs and fleeing from a police officer who had attempted to stop him for speeding.
Rance crashed his Mini Cooper into a tree on 20 May, fatally injuring his passenger, Carly Hicks, 37. Officers found cocaine, heroin, a firearm bearing his fingerprint, and a phone with drug‑supply messages inside the vehicle, while toxicology tests revealed a cocktail of illegal and prescribed substances in his system.
Rance, of Shoeburyness, denied causing death by dangerous driving, possessing a prohibited firearm, and possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, but was convicted on all counts following a trial at Basildon Crown Court. He will be sentenced on 30 April.
In a statement, Carly’s family said:
“The loss of our beautiful Carly will leave a hole in our hearts that cannot be healed, and life will never be the same.
“Some of Carly’s best qualities were her ability to see the good in others and her kindness, even if others did not deserve it.
“She had an infectious smile and a distinctive laugh you could recognise anywhere.
“Carly was taken from us prematurely as she sadly gave her trust and kindness to the wrong person, and that ultimately led to the end of her life.
“She had suffered a great amount of bereavement in her life. Despite this, Carly was an incredible mother to her two beautiful daughters, who now have to navigate life without her.
“Carly was a beautiful soul who left a lasting impression on those who had the privilege of meeting her.
“She was a strong, irreplaceable member of our family, and we will miss her contagious smile and zest for life.”
 Colchester: Man jailed for sexual activity with child he groomed online
Lewis Plane, 33, from Colchester, has been jailed for six years after grooming and engaging in sexual activity with a child he contacted through Snapchat using a fake profile. He pretended to be 17, sent the victim sexualised messages and videos, and quickly moved their communication to WhatsApp. Believing she was in a genuine relationship, the victim met Plane repeatedly in Clacton and Colchester from late 2023 into 2025. Plane initially denied the offences but later changed his plea as his trial began at Ipswich Crown Court.
The victim was identified during a separate police investigation, and after sensitive enquiries she disclosed the abuse. Confronted with extensive evidence gathered by Essex Police’s Child Sexual Exploitation team, Plane admitted multiple offences, including sexual activity with a child, grooming, sexual communication with a child, and controlling or coercive behaviour. On Friday 6 February, he was sentenced to six years in prison, given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and issued an indefinite restraining order.
 Basildon: Dealer jailed after fleeing cuckooed flat during welfare check
Sharn Cain, 26, has been jailed after he fled through a flat window during a welfare check carried out as part of Operation Raptor — the force’s dedicated effort to dismantle county lines drug networks. Officers discovered that Cain, who had travelled from south‑west London, was carrying two phones, including a burner linked to a drug line used to advertise and arrange Class A drug deals.
Following his arrest in Basildon, Cain denied involvement in supplying Class A drugs. He also faced additional charges from a separate 2025 London investigation, including conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, and involvement in supplying cannabis. After being convicted at trial, he was sentenced on 21 January to a total of seven years in prison at Kingston‑upon‑Thames Crown Court.
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