Southend: Knives seized and dangerous driver taken off our roads

Two bladed weapons were seized and a dangerous driver taken off our roads after officers stopped a stolen car in Southend.

Officers responded after we were called to reports of people brandishing knives inside a vehicle in Ruskin Avenue.

After the call came in at around 12.25pm on Wednesday 22 May, specially trained pursuit officers were on the tail of the vehicle in question by 1.10pm, signalling for it to stop by activating their blue lights.

The vehicle, a Ford Kuga, was later found to be on cloned number plates.

The Kuga failed to stop for our officers and a pursuit followed through Southend and into Great Wakering.

During the pursuit, the Kuga was driven onto the wrong side of the road, over the pavement near the entrance to a school and reached dangerously high speeds.

After entering High Street, Great Wakering, officers cut the Kuga off, blocking and making tactical contact with the vehicle to prevent any further risk to the public.

The driver, a 17-year-old boy, from Shoeburyness, who cannot be named because of his age, was swiftly detained.

Two blades – a knife and a machete – were recovered from the Kuga.

Following a search of the driver, the sheath for a knife was recovered.

He was arrested and later charged with possession of a knife, aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and driving without insurance.

He appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Friday 24 May, where he admitted the charges.

At a sentencing hearing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on 14 June, he was sentenced to a youth detention and training order spanning six months.

He was disqualified from driving for 15 months and must take an extended test before he can hold a licence.

'Split-second decision'

Detective Sergeant Daniel Thrale, from Southend CID, said:

“I would firstly praise the two officers involved in what was an entirely professional pursuit of the car in question.
“We received credible reports the occupants of the vehicle had dangerous weapons and as such the number one priority was ensuring those weapons were seized and taken off the streets.
“As the pursuit progressed, this priority shifted to bringing the vehicle to a stop as quickly and as safely as possible.
“The manner of the suspect’s driving was appalling and posed a substantial risk to the public.
“In bringing this pursuit to a close, the officers involved had to make a split-second decision to try and block the vehicles path, which resulted in contact being made.
“This was a significant collision which caused injury to the officers.
“They were back on duty within 48 hours. Both would undoubtedly say it was just another day on duty protecting the public.
“This case is a prime example of the lengths we will go to in order to tackle knife crime of any kind in Essex.”

A 16-year-old boy, from Great Wakering, arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife, theft of a motor vehicle, and aggravated vehicle taking, remains on bail until 21 July.

Tackling knife crime

Our Serious Violence Unit (SVU) is leading the way in Essex on identifying those who are likely to become perpetrators of knife crime.

In Essex, data shows knife crime suspects are almost 90% male and more than half are aged between 10 and 19.

The SVU works with the Violence and Vulnerability Unit, which brings together education, health and criminal justice system partners to work on early interventions with young people at risk of falling into criminality.

Most people in our county are very unlikely to fall victim to knife crime and we have seen positive trends in tackling this issue.

In the 12 months to 17 June 2024, we recorded 1,529 knife-enabled offences. This is down 5% on the same period last year and down 7% on pre-Covid levels.

Are you worried that a friend or someone you know may be being exploited through County Lines or organised criminal activity?

Maybe they are returning home late, staying out all night or even going missing for days or weeks at a time.

Are they suddenly being secretive about who they are talking to or where they are going?

Or perhaps you’ve noticed they have large amounts of money on them, or new clothing, jewellery or phones they wouldn’t be able to afford.

Through Fearless, young people can pass on information 100% anonymously to get help.

If you need help from police, call 101 or, if it's an emergency, always call 999.

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