14 Men Busted in Essex Border Crackdown
Essex Police and partner forces have hauled in 14 suspects in a major swoop targeting crime along the Essex borders with London and Hertfordshire.
Eleven of those cuffed face burglary or related charges in the latest crackdown.
Operation Claymore: Multi-Force Crime Hunt
Led by Essex Police, Operation Claymore unites officers from Hertfordshire, the Met, and the National Police Air Service (NPAS) to tackle cross-county crime.
The team uses automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to track suspicious vehicles, focusing on hotspots around Harlow and Epping Forest.
Backing comes from specialist units including Dog, Roads, and Community Policing teams plus the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
High-Speed Chases and Dramatic Arrests
- Three men were caught after a chase involving a stolen Bentley Bentayga on the M11, snatched from Cambridgeshire.
- Two suspects in a stolen Toyota Aygo crash-landed in Harlow and tried to flee on foot before being arrested.
- Other arrests cover theft of motor vehicles, drug driving, possession of class B drugs, going equipped to steal, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH).
Over the night, cops carried out 13 stop searches and recovered nine stolen vehicles.
Proven Success Against Organised Crime
This marks the ninth joint operation by the three forces, with a tally now at 67 arrests, 130 stop searches, 32 vehicles seized, and 100 intelligence reports filed.
PC Ross Ashcroft, who spearheaded the operation, said: “We are targeting organised gangs using the road network to carry out burglary, car theft, and drug supply. They travel between counties but our joint efforts stop them crossing borders.”
“Bringing multiple forces and teams together to share intelligence on high-harm criminals is crucial. We’re pleased with the disruptions and arrests achieved tonight.”
Superintendent Phil Stinger added: “Our collaboration sends a clear message to criminals that we’re making their operating environment hostile. Burglary and car theft will not be tolerated, and our teams are relentless in tracking offenders.”
