Chief Inspector’s Update

BY Southend District Commander Chief Inspector Dave Browning.

HELLO Leigh On Sea News Readers.

As January draws to a close it’s time for another update, it’s been a busy month for all of our teams, but some great results have been achieved, here’s a snapshot of some of these:

A drug line leader who recruited children to deal Class A substances has been handed an innovative order aimed at tackling gang exploitation.

Last year, our Operation Raptor team presented their work on Slavery Trafficking and Risk Orders (STROs) to the Home Office after becoming one of the first forces nationally to use the tactic. The STROs place strict conditions on who perpetrators can associate with or contact, where they can go and what they can post on social media.

Anyone breaching their conditions faces arrest. Ron Whyte, 32, was handed one such order last month after he was previously jailed for six years for drug supply offences.

The order follows an investigation into the ‘Richi’ network, which spanned at least nine separate drug lines sending out bulk advertising messages to crack cocaine and heroin users in Southend.

The network used juveniles and young people to hold and manage the drug line phones, employing them as runners. Our investigation showed he had frequent contact with many of the runners linked to the operation. He admitted conspiring to supply crack cocaine and heroin and was jailed in September last year.

A persistent Southend shoplifter has been banned from every BP garage and store across Essex for two years.

Stacey Samuels, 35, has also been prohibited from entering the Co-op store in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, during that time. The criminal behaviour order with these two conditions was imposed on Samuels by Basildon magistrates at a court hearing on 22 January.

They were told Samuels had admitted 39 counts of shop theft totalling almost £1,600 of goods between 28 January and 24 March 2024. She also admitted two attempted shop thefts, possession of cannabis and possession of cocaine. Samuels, of Prince Avenue, Westcliff, targeted the BP garage in West Street, Westcliff, as well as the Co-op in Hamlet Court Road, over a two-month period, the court heard.

Two men have been arrested after a member of the public witnessed a stolen bike being loaded onto a van in Southend.

We received a call at 1.35pm on Thursday 16 January reporting a motorbike had been collected from Saxon Gardens in Shoeburyness. It was identified as having previously been stolen. Thanks to the information from the member of the public officers were able to follow the van, which then failed to stop when directed. The vehicle was tracked and later brought to a stop in Hornchurch and two men were arrested.

A 28 year-old from Dagenham and a 20 year-old from Hornchurch were arrested on suspicion of theft of motor vehicle, failing to stop when directed, dangerous driving, and taking a motor vehicle without owner’s consent.

They have since been released on bail until 5 and 6 April respectively.

Why not pop along to one of our Upcoming Events:

Saturday 8 February between 11am-12pm at Leigh Community Centre, elm Road, Leigh

Saturday 8 February between 11am – 12pm at Cake o’clock tea room, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood

Tuesday 11 February between 11am-12pm at Havens, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff

Friday 21 February between 3pm-4pm at Havens, Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff

Tuesday 25 February between 5pm-6pm at Cliffs Pavilion, Station Road, Westcliff

Wednesday 26 February between 11am – 12pm at Cake o’clock tea room, Rayleigh Road, Eastwood

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