FIFTEEN people were arrested after the latest Operation Claymore targeting crime along Essex’s borders with London and Hertfordshire.

A cross-force team from Essex, the Met and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) tracked down vehicles believed to be involved in crime using hits from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Activity in Essex was focused on the districts of Epping Forest and Harlow, areas that are easily accessible from the M25 and M11.

Of the 15 arrests, four men were detained on suspicion of car theft and failing to stop after an Audi with false number plates was pursued into East London. The car was reported stolen following a burglary in 2024 and came to a sudden halt after attempting to make off. A search revealed a number of index plates and GPS jamming devices.

There were four other arrests for suspected car theft, and two men were detained for drug driving. Other offences that led to arrests included failing to stop, driving whilst disqualified and making off without payment with a substantial quantity of fuel.

The team also seized nine vehicles, carried out 24 stop searches, submitted 15 pieces of intelligence and issued two Community Resolutions.

This was the 15th Operation Claymore and in total it has resulted in 117 arrests, 224 stop searches, and 88 vehicles being recovered or seized.

The operation has also seen regular collaboration with officers from Herts and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper joined the team on the operation and praised the results the collaboration between forces was achieving:

“Proactively targeting vehicles linked to offending severely limits the ability of criminal groups to operate. When incidents and ANPR hits were reported, the officers’ quick and decisive actions saw suspects linked to a number of serious offences apprehended.

“The fact there have now been well over one hundred arrests since the inception of Op Claymore sends a clear message to anyone who thinks that moving between force areas offers them some form of protection – it doesn’t.

“We know the impact that vehicle theft, burglary and drug supply have on communities. By working in partnership with our neighbouring forces and sharing intelligence, we are creating a hostile environment and hunting down the individuals who are using the road network to commit crime. The criminals don’t stop when they reach our borders and neither do we.”