15 Sep #Thurrock: Six arrested during operation targeting gang crime
Six people were arrested during an operation targeting gang crime, human trafficking and modern slavery last week.
Officers from the Operational Support Group worked alongside the Casualty Reduction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Unit to run Operation Keats in the Thurrock area on Thursday, September 8, 2016.
Supported by HMRC, Immigration Enforcement and the Romanian Embassy, officers identified potential offenders with the help of Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology before taking them to stop check sites in the area.
During the operation, three men were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences. Two men, aged 47 and 56, were arrested after officers stopped the vehicle in which they were travelling at the Moto Services at Thurrock at 6pm. Both had entered the UK illegally.
A 34-year-old man who had over stayed his student visa was arrested after officers stopped and checked a separate vehicle in which he was a passenger at the Moto Services.
All three men are Indian nationals. They were all taken into police custody before being transferred to Immigration Enforcement.
The 47-year-old man and 56-year-old man are currently in immigration detention pending removal from the UK and the third man was ordered to report regularly to Immigration Enforcement while his case is progressed.
A 22-year-old man from Dagenham was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs after officers stopped the vehicle in which he was travelling on the A1306, Thurrock just before 8pm. Officers discovered the vehicle, a black BMW, wasn’t insured and found two wraps of cocaine inside. The car was seized and the man received a caution for drug possession.
A 41-year-old man from Thurrock who was wanted for failing to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court in June was arrested and detained to appear at court the following day.
A 29-year-old man from South Ockendon was arrested at Dennises Lane, South Ockendon at 4.55pm for breach of a court order issued by Basildon Magistrates’ Court and failing to attend the same court on July 19 and 26, 2016.He was taken into custody and detained to appear in court the following morning.
During the operation, a 34-year-old man from South Ockendon was also given a cannabis warning and three vehicles were seized because their drivers didn’t have appropriate insurance.
A minibus was also stopped and a banned from continuing its journey for a period of nine hours after officers discovered two drivers had exceeded the legal working time.
