Quickly exit this site by pressing the Escape key Leave this site
We use some essential cookies to make our website work. We’d like to set additional cookies so we can remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
You can manage your preferences and cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Customise Cookies” below. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Cookies notice.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Your cookie preferences have been saved. You can update your cookie settings at any time on the cookies page.
Sorry, there was a technical problem. Please try again.
This site is a beta, which means it's a work in progress and we'll be adding more to it over the next few weeks. Your feedback helps us make things better, so please let us know what you think.
An officer who returned to her patrols shortly after taking part in a community event focused on knife crime caught an offender carrying a seven-inch blade.
Acting Sergeant Carly Boitoult, of Southend’s town centre team, had engaged with children at an event near the Knife Angel – a sculpture raising awareness of the impact of knife crime – on Thursday 4 July.
At around 5.40pm, she resumed her patrols of Southend High Street, when she was approached by a member of the public.
The member of the public advised her of suspected drug dealing activity taking place nearby.
Sgt Boitoult approached a group of males, with one of their number fleeing on foot.
This man, Rashid Yousefi, 28, of Windermere Road, Southend, was detained and searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Due to suspicions he may have concealed or discarded evidence nearby, officers swiftly searched the area and conducted CCTV enquiries.
This revealed the Yousefi had thrown a knife onto a nearby roof while fleeing our officer.
This weapon was recovered and revealed to be a large kitchen knife.
Yousefi was arrested and later charged with possession of a knife in a public place.
At Southend Magistrates’ Court on Friday 5 July, he admitted the charge and was jailed for 26 weeks.
Sgt Boitoult said:
“As community policing officers, we are always alert to the priority of tackling knife crime.
“Yousefi thought he could conceal the fact he was carrying a weapon. We were quick to detain him, search the area and prove him wrong.
“The carrying of weapons often goes hand-in-hand with wider offending such as drug dealing and we work hard to act upon concerns over anti-social behaviour and suspicious activity in Southend town centre.
“There is never an acceptable excuse for carrying a knife.
“The public are all too aware, as are we, that the impact of knife crime can be devastating.
“Working with our partners on educating young people on the reality of knife crime, and through raising awareness through initiatives like the Knife Angel structure, we can look towards the root cause of the issues around the possession of weapons.”
Action aimed at driving down high-harm crime in south Essex has seen knife-related offending fall steadily across the area.
In Southend, officers work alongside Southend-on-Sea City Council, the British Transport Police, the c2c railway and seafront businesses as part of Operation Union.
This sees officers maintain a constant presence during the busy summer months, providing a visible deterrent to anyone who misbehaves and diffusing any potential flashpoints.
Knife-enabled crime is down by 20% in Southend in the 12 months to date, when compared with the same period last year.
Across this period, there have been 215 knife-enabled offences recorded.
What you know could be the missing puzzle piece we’re looking for.
We know that information held by our communities can help us to keep people safe and catch criminals.
We also know that our communities need to trust that we will listen to them and take action when we need to.
Our Police Intelligence page explains what happens when you tell us something you've seen or heard. It explains what to expect and what we need to know when you give us information.
If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right or causes you concern, we want you to tell us about it.
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.