Firearm seized and dangerous offender jailed after A12 stop

A targeted operation on the A12 has taken a firearm off the streets, recovered a stolen vehicle and put a dangerous offender back behind bars.

One of our roads policing officers was on patrol in an unmarked vehicle on Wednesday 1 April when he identified a Hyundai displaying false number plates.

A plan was swiftly put in place to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, involving a stinger and patrol cars positioned along the route.

The vehicle was boxed in near Boreham and safely stopped, avoiding the need for a pursuit.

The driver, 44-year-old Tony Powell, was arrested.

A search of the vehicle uncovered a handgun in the driver’s side door pocket containing five rounds of live ammunition.

The vehicle was established to have been stolen from Surrey in November 2025.

Powell, who has previous convictions for theft and firearms offences, had been released on licence from prison in October 2019.

This followed his involvement in a gang targeting cash-in-transit vans delivering to banks.

The group used knives and a handgun during these robberies.

Following further investigation by our Serious and Organised Crime Unit, Powell, of Blakesware Gardens, London, admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate.

At Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 2 June, he was deemed a dangerous offender and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment, with a further four years on licence.

This work forms part of ongoing efforts by our Roads Policing Unit (RPU), which has made 942 arrests across Essex so far in 2026, tackling offences ranging from drink and drug driving to the recovery of stolen vehicles.

Across 2026, Essex Police officers have recovered 783 stolen vehicles.

'He had no idea we were about to strike'

Adam Pipe, head of the RPU, said:

“Thanks to this well-executed stop, which took place in daylight hours on a busy A-road, any risk to the public was minimised.
“This action led to the arrest of a dangerous offender, the recovery of a stolen vehicle and the seizure of a weapon which clearly presented a significant risk in Powell’s hands.
“My officers patrol our county’s roads every day, using a range of tactics to keep people safe and bring offenders to justice. In this case, Powell had no idea we were on to him until the moment we took action.”

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