Basildon: Man arrested on suspicion of theft of a van

Roads Policing Unit (RPU) officers were on routine patrols in Basildon on Wednesday 20 November when they saw the driver of a van acting suspiciously.

The driver parked the van in Paycocke Road and was stopped by officers as he walked away.

An examination of the vehicle showed it was on false plates and that it had been stolen from the Wickford area the previous day.

The driver, a 36-year-old man from Wickford, was arrested on suspicion of theft of vehicle.

When he was searched in custody, officers found two wraps of what is believed to be Class A drugs.

As part of their enquiries, they discovered that he was a disqualified driver.

He was further arrested for those offences and he has been released on bail whilst our enquiries continue.

Head of Essex's Roads Policing Unit, Mr Adam Pipe said:
Vehicle crime is a concern for our residents, so it is a concern for us.
We’ll do all we can to drive down this crime by targeting those involved.
I’d encourage anyone who has information about those concerned in the theft of vehicles to contact us and tell us what they know.
That way we can direct our patrols and resources to the areas where we can have the most impact.

Crimestoppers have launched a new campaign in Essex encouraging people to give information anonymously about those responsible for vehicle theft.

The focus is to raise awareness of vehicle crime, to prevent it from happening and to encourage the public to pass on what they know whilst staying completely anonymous.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

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Our Roads Policing Unit (RPU) provide a specialist response across our road network. Their expertise helps to keep our roads safe and traffic moving. They work to make sure those road users who put others at risk by speeding, driving dangerously or any other illegal behaviour, are held accountable for their actions. Our officers look for those using our roads to commit crime and disrupt criminal activity.

So that our officers can be even more effective on our roads, and better support the Strategic Road Network (SRN), our RPU based at Stanway, Colchester, have moved to our sites in Boreham and Thorpe-Le-Soken.

Our RPU will continue to operate 24/7 across the county. They will continue to work alongside officers and staff throughout Essex to help people and catch criminals. They will also continue to work to prevent and reduce road deaths and serious collisions on our roads.

In line with our Estates Strategy, the site at Stanway, which is not open to the public, will be sold. Funds will be reinvested into your police service.

This move does not affect the police teams who currently, and will continue to, work from Colchester Police Station. The sale of the Stanway site will not change local policing delivery or our visibility in our communities.