Southend: Officer injured while making arrest

UPDATE: Tuesday 23 April

Charges have been secured against a man after an officer was left with a serious injury following an incident in Southend.

This follows a report of an individual leaving a shop in High Street without paying for goods, at around 3.30pm on Saturday 20 April.

It was further reported threats had been made and an assault allegedly carried out on security staff and a member of public.

During an ensuing arrest, an officer sustained a serious injury to his ankle.

Jean Lemaitre, 34, of no fixed address, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm, two counts of common assault, theft from a shop and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.

He appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Monday 22 April, where he was released on bail with conditions until a hearing at Basildon Crown Court on Friday 24 May.

Sunday 21 April:

An officer responding to a reported incident of shop theft suffered a serious injury while making an arrest.

Officers with our Southend Town Centre Team had attended reports of an individual leaving a shop in High Street without paying for goods, at around 3.30pm on Saturday 20 April.

It was further reported threats had been made an assault allegedly carried out on security staff and a member of public.

Officers promptly detained a man and placed him in handcuffs.

During an ensuing struggle, an officer sustained a serious injury to his ankle.
He is receiving treatment.

A 34-year-old man, of no fixed address, remains in custody for questioning on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.

Full investigation

Chief Inspector Jo Collins, Southend district commander, said:

“My officers frequently place themselves in harm’s way to effectively protect the public and catch suspects.
“This officer is receiving treatment and support, but I would reinforce the message that no emergency service worker deserves to suffer injury while going about their duty.
“Any such incidents will be investigated to the fullest extent.”

Ongoing work in Southend

Last week, we revealed an operation targeting prolific offenders in Southend city centre led to 28 people being charged with more than 300 offences.

Operation Raker was launched in September 2023 after research showed a significant proportion of crimes in retail premises - such as thefts and assaults - were being committed by repeat offenders.

Two officers from Southend Town Centre Team have been working with the council’s community safety officers, BID (Business Improvement District) Rangers and retailers for the last seven months to identify and arrest individuals and prevent their offending from escalating.

This had led to 13 people being sentenced to a total of more than seven years in prison, 12 criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) being issued, and the award of more than £13,000 in compensation.

Anyone with information should contact us as soon as possible.

You can let us know by submitting a report online or by using our Live Chat service. 

Our Live Chat service is available on our website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can send and receive real-time messages with an online operator.

To use the service, select the ‘Live Chat’ icon at the bottom right of your screen when you're on our website.

Or you can call us on 101.

Visit our 'Help Us Help You' page to find out more about different ways of reporting.

At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.

Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.

To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999. 

At Essex Police, we value difference. We know we’re strongest when we work together. And we want a workforce that represents our communities. 

If you share our values and want to help people, keep people safe and catch criminals, then join us as a police officer, member of staff, special constable or volunteer.

Find out if you #FitTheBill by visiting our careers page.