Officers arrested a man following a foot chase in Orsett (Credit: Essex Police)
The operation saw 16 special constables and four officers use marked and unmarked cars to target areas where the thefts had been reported.
In one case, officers spotted a man riding a motorcycle without number plates. The rider attempted to speed away and rode along a pavement before dumping his helmet on the road as he tried to take off.
He was boxed in by two unmarked police cars so he jumped off the bike and ran into the middle of a park football match. He was out-run by officers and arrested, with a large amount of drugs found in his bag.
After being taken into custody, officers discovered he was using his brothers name and had absconded from an open prison in June 2021.
A quad bike was pulled over in Tilbury (Credit: Essex Police)
The operation also saw officers recover a Range Rover that had been reported stolen the previous day.
Another person was arrested after a car with cloned number plates was pulled over at Lakeside.
“We’ve had a successful day with the three arrests we’ve made for the theft of vehicles, and the stolen vehicles we’ve recovered, including the Range Rover which was found after a tracker activation,” said Acting Special Sergeant Andy Hartigan, who organised the operation.
“We’ve also issued a number of community warnings around off-road bikes and the use of quads off-road as anti-social and irresponsible driving has a massive impact on the community. It puts the safety of people using public spaces at risk and usually these motorcycles are unlicensed and uninsured.”
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Tags: Thurrock, Lakeside, Tilbury, Essex Police, Orsett
