Essex Police chief's vow to crack down on vehicle crime

Ben-Julian Harrington said he is committed to ensuring those who have their cars stolen across the county get them back.

Last month, 18 stolen vehicles worth almost £436,000 were found by the police in a suspected chop shop in Ipswich Road, Colchester.

Mr Harrington pledged to ensure similar proactive policing operations bring justice to theft victims.

Recovered - a car chop shop found by Essex Police on Canvey Island (Image: Essex Police)

Pledge - Chief Constable of Essex Police Ben-Julian Harrington (Image: Essex Police)

“Essex loves its cars; it has a proud history with a lot of car manufacturers who choose to be based here and we see lots of car cruises too,” he said.

“We recognise car crime but I will always prioritise people over possessions.”

“In time, we will make Essex a difficult place for car criminals to operate.”

But the chief constable conceded: “I would be making false promises if I said that we will go to every car theft reported to us.”

Mr Harrington explained officers work to ensure stolen cars are “impossible” for thieves to sell on.

He offered reassurance that stolen high value vehicles are not a higher priority than other cars for officers, but added: “However, mainly these are the ones that are stolen”.