Debden: Persistent thief banned from entering shops

A burglar has been banned from certain shops in Essex after officers secured a court order aimed at protecting businesses from further harm.

Town Centre Team officers spotted a burglary suspect when they were patrolling and carrying out enquiries in Loughton.

Officers recognised the man’s clothing from descriptions circulated to them and they arrested Anthony Shimque.

A subsequent search of his home found more clothing and a rucksack, which linked him to the burglaries.

Faced with clear evidence of his offending he pleaded guilty when he appeared at court and, on Thursday 13 February, he was sentenced.

Between 19 June and 20 October 2024, the BP Garage in the Broadway, Debden, reported 10 separate incidents where food, cigarettes and other items, valued at around £40,000, were stolen.

We launched an investigation and those detailed and extensive enquiries lead to Shimque’s arrest on suspicion of business burglary.

Shimque, of Ridgeway Gardens, Ilford, was charged with three counts of theft and seven counts of burglary non dwelling with intent to steal.

The 42-year-old appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 23 October where he pleaded guilty to all 10 charges.

The persistent offender had repeatedly gone to the garage and taken the items from shelves and also filled bags with cigarettes from behind the till.

At the same court on Thursday, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years, in relation to the seven non-dwelling burglary offences.

For the three theft offences he was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years.

Both sentences will run concurrently.

The court also gave him a four-year Criminal Behaviour Order, this imposes four conditions:

• Not to enter BP Debden Broadway.
• Not to enter BP Ilford.
• When entering any store must have means to pay.
• Not to enter any store with a face covering.

'Orders pivotal in reducing crime'

Sergeant Jamie Shepherd said:

“This type of offending impacts us all and has a real impact on the targeted business.
“We work hard to ensure criminals who go into local stores to steal are brought before the courts.
“We also work closely with businesses in our communities to support them with crime prevention advice.
“The criminal behaviour order is something we apply for post-conviction and has been pivotal in reducing crime.
“I would like to thank BP for their support in gathering evidence and securing the conviction.”

For advice on how to stay safe and protect your home, yourself, your business and your vehicles from crime, please visit our crime prevention pages.

You can also find out more general information about crime, the law and staying safe on our advice and information pages.

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.