News 2 April to 7 April
We’re making new CCTV footage available as part of our search for missing woman Vitoria Barreto and are asking as many people as possible to share it. The two new clips extend where we now know Vitoria was last seen.
One shows a person we believe to be Vitoria walking in a field south of Hurst Green, between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street, at 3.33pm on 3 March, around an hour after she was last seen in Hurst Green.
We have also found further CCTV showing the 30-year-old walking through an industrial site off Copperas Road in Brightlingsea at 12.16am on 4 March, closer to Brightlingsea Creek and the marina.
This means our last confirmed sighting of Vitoria is now at 12.22am on 4 March.
We’re continuing detailed work to better understand Vitoria’s movements, including enquiries linked to a boat that was later found adrift at Bradwell-on-Sea, and are working with international partners to access her communication and financial data.
We’re urging anyone who may have seen Vitoria walking in the field near Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street on the afternoon of 3 March, or who has seen her since the early hours of 4 March, to please contact us.
 Daniel Jones
A Colchester shoplifter has been jailed for 18 months, following a neighbourhood policing team investigation.
Daniel Jones, 38, of Spruce Avenue, had previously admitted 33 thefts and ignoring 31 times a two-year criminal behaviour order which banned him from entering any Co-op store in Essex.
He was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on 30 March, after the judge heard he was also in breach of a suspended six-month jail term.
Jones was arrested on 6 February after Colchester neighbourhood policing officers found him cowering inside the base of a divan bed.
Over three operational days between 24 and 26 March, the operation brought together officers from the Road Safety Team, Roads Policing Unit, Operational Support Group and local policing teams in a coordinated effort to prevent and detect crime and keep people safe.
The focus was on identifying vehicles being used illegally - including cloned and stolen vehicles, disqualified and uninsured drivers, and offenders travelling across force borders to evade arrest
Across the three days, officers stopped 153 vehicles, leading to 10 arrests and 21 vehicles seized for a range of offences linked to criminal use of Essex’s roads.
Tackling cloned vehicles matters because cloned vehicles - where criminals use false registration plates to disguise a vehicle’s true identity - pose a serious risk to road safety and are often linked to wider criminality.
 Project Servator activity continues across Colchester
Our Specially trained Project Servator officers were out across Colchester this week helping to keep everyone safe.
The team work with local businesses checking in with staff to make sure they've not spotted anything that seems suspicious and reminding them to report anything that doesn't feel right. By creating a network of vigilance we can disrupt crime and keep Essex safe.
If you see our Project Servator deployments - it's nothing to worry about. Our officers are there to keep you safe. Come and say hello and ask us what we're doing.
If you see anything that doesn't seem right, let us know.
You can report to us online via our website or by calling 101.
Always call 999 in an emergency.
 Let's talk
Upcoming community police events
Tuesday 21 April
8am to 10am
Priory street church
10am to 11am
Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate, Colchester, Essex
Thursday 23 April 11am to 12pm
Toast , Culver Precinct
 Crime prevention advice
Keep Sheds and Garages Locked.
It’s easy to leave the shed or garage door open while gardening or popping indoors for a moment, but this can give thieves exactly the chance they’re looking for.
An unlocked outbuilding can be accessed in seconds, and items like bikes, tools and equipment are common targets.
Even if you’re only stepping away briefly, close and lock the door. Treat your shed or garage the same way you would your front door: if you’re not right there, keep it locked.
Be fraud smart
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Very low prices, especially for popular or in demand items, are often used to trick people into scams.
Take a moment to pause before you buy. Compare prices on other websites and check reviews carefully.
For more ways to spot a scam online and keep yourself safe, visit our website.
 Visit the Essex Police website for last week's crime data. Especially useful to Essex Watch and Neighbourhood Watch groups.
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