'39 Vietnamese families trusted us to deliver justice - and we did'

Five years ago this morning, we began an investigation which no police force would ever want to undertake.

In the early hours of Wednesday 23 October 2019, we were alerted to 39 Vietnamese men, women and children who were unresponsive in the trailer of a lorry by its driver Maurice Robinson, in Eastern Avenue, Grays, Essex.

The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Port of Purfleet, in Essex.

Each of the 39 victims, and their families, had paid significant sums of money to an organised crime group whose members promised them safe passage to the UK and a life here.

Our investigation, which was carried out alongside a spectrum of public, private and international partners, has been far-reaching and has uncovered an intercontinental human trafficking conspiracy, which has ultimately led to the conviction of 11 people here in the UK, and jail sentenced of almost 120 years, as well as 18 people being convicted in France last year.

Today, Wednesday 23 October, we remember each of the 39 victims and their families and we reflect on the most complex and far-reaching investigation ever undertaken in Essex.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper commanded the Essex Police investigation.

He said:

“The investigation into this tragic loss of life will live with each and every officer and staff member from Essex Police who played their part in it.
“For many, myself included, we still think about the 39 victims and their families very often. The lives of the surviving family members changed forever in October 2019 when their loved ones left Vietnam under the false promise of a better life here in the UK.
“Those Vietnamese families have had their heartbreak play out for the world to see. Throughout all of that, these incredibly strong people and their incredibly stoic country have acted with dignity and with compassion.
“Crucially, they put their trust in us to deliver justice for their loved ones and their citizens. This is a responsibility I know we all took incredibly seriously. As I’ve said before, we know all too well in policing that trust is not a right, it is earned, and I sincerely hope they feel we have done that.”

Det Ch Supt Hooper added:

“When we visited Vietnam recently to return the victims’ personal possessions we were reminded by the Vietnamese delegation of a promise we made early on in this investigation; that we would bring this cowardly, criminal group to justice and we would treat every victim and their family with dignity and respect and we were told that as a result of our actions in dismantling this intercontinental crime group, Essex Police will always have a special place in Vietnam.
“I believe we have earned that respect, through our work to solve this investigation, in our actions in how we built key relationships across continents and how we worked with our UK partners to ensure that everyone we know to have been involved in this horrific, greedy conspiracy has been brought to justice.”

Det Ch Supt Hooper added:

“As I have said before, it is the honour of my policing career to have commanded this investigation.
“For me, there are many heroes and heroines in this investigation but it is really hard to look past those first responders who had no idea what situation they were about to step into.
“They opened the container doors and saw 39 people who had lost their lives in horrific circumstances.
“And despite what they were faced with, they checked each and every person to see if there were signs of life to see if they could save their lives.
“Sadly, there was nothing they could do but that compassion and that dignity shown in those moments set the tone for what was to become an investigation no one involved will ever forget.
“But although this operation has concluded, we have very much used it as a catalyst for change, to make organised immigration crime a national priority. The people involved in this are greedy, they are cowardly, and they have no regard for the life of the people they are exploiting.
“I truly hope no investigation like this must ever take place again.”

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 fit the bill