ESSEX Police officers carried out another successful roads policing operation with colleagues from other forces to disrupt criminals involved in drugs and violent crime in Essex, London, and neighbouring counties.

A spokesperson said: “We worked with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police to patrol the borders of Essex and London, including the A127 and A13, between Monday 14 September and Thursday 17 September.
Over the two days, there were a total of 43 arrests made by both forces.

It coincided with another operation, in which we joined colleagues from eight police forces to disrupt drugs gangs using main roads and motorways in and around London between Tuesday and Thursday. 

“This results in 230 arrests overall and the seizure of weapons, drugs and vehicles, thanks to the efforts of our officers and colleagues from the Met, Surrey, Kent, Hertfordshire, Thames Valley, Hampshire, City of London and British Transport Police. 

During the four days, the arrests in Essex included:
Two men charged with possession of drugs including heroin and crack cocaine after their car was stopped and searched in Grays.
One man was arrested on suspicion of stalking, coercive or controlling behaviour, harassment and threatening to commit criminal damage.
·       Two men were arrested on suspicion of theft after a stolen Ford Ranger was spotted on the B1018 in Latchingdon and failed to stop for police. Officers followed it to Bicknacre, where the men, aged 18 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of failing to stop for police, theft of a motor vehicle and theft. They have been released under investigation. 
A number of arrests for drug-driving, driving offences, making off without payment.

Eight vehicles were also seized in Essex.

Road crime manager Matt Hine said: “We use intelligence gathered from our investigations and information from the community, as well as technology such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition, to target vehicles linked to violent crime.
“During these patrols we have also stopped people for driving offences and have identified further more serious offences.
“Operations such are this are just part of the work we do every day to target criminals who are involved in drugs and violent crime, which go hand in hand with the exploitation of vulnerable people and children.
“Working with neighbouring forces and our other partners is vitally important these criminal networks often span wide areas and borders.
“We are working tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe and to disrupt and dismantle drugs gangs.
“Information from the public is really important in helping us do this because it helps us identify offenders and detect and prevent crime.”
You can call us on 101 or report online at https://www.essex.police.uk
Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or https://crimestoppers-uk.org.
Find out more about our work under Operation Sceptre to tackle serious violent crime including knife and drug-related crime, and how we’re working with partners to tackle the issues behind knife crime, at https://www.essex.police.uk/opsceptre