Charity bag thieves and drug dealers operating out of Southend flat

7:00am Friday 4th January 2013 in News

FED-UP residents have repeatedly spotted drug deals going on at a block of flats in Southend.

They have also seen sacks of clothes going into the flat, Rochford Road, which appear to be have been stolen.

The bags look like the ones which are left out for charity collection, and have been seen being unloaded out of a large van.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said it was clear that drug dealing was going on.

He said: “There’s no fixed pattern to what goes on except that cars regularly pull outside for ten seconds and somebody gets out. They exchange something with somebody from the flat and then they’re gone again.

“I don’t notice it all the time but it’s a fairly constant thing. I pass on the registration numbers of these cars that come and go but it just carries on.”

He also finds it extremely frustrating that they appear to also be unloading stolen clothes from a van and taking them into the flat. He said: “There isn’t one or two bags coming off it, there’s whole van loads that people have left out intending it for charity.

“It just seems annoying that no body does anything about it. “I don’t know how many times I’ve rung the police, I’ve lost track. I don’t get used to it, I just get more annoyed.”

He said the flat seemed to be used almost like a doss-house with scores of people coming and going.

He added: “I think there’s only one person that’s supposed to live there but numerous people come and go. In the past some people have stayed there for months at a time. “It seems to be a meeting place for people to turn up.”

Insp Brad Dickel, of Leigh police, invited the resident to call him directly with any information.

He added: “It’s something we are aware of, we’ve used a multi-agency apporach and a number of enquries are ongoing.” Anyone who can help police should call 101.

Comments(16)

Hannah Foster says...
8:31am Fri 4 Jan 13

There is more chance of the police heading up the high street for a chat with their mates and a MacDonald's than there is of them doing anything about small time drug dealing which causes a nuicesence to the people who have to put up with it day in day out. I have had reason to call the police a number of times over the last year to report domestic violence, anti social behaviour, shop lifting, drug issues. If they do turn out it's as much as they can do to be arsed to get out of their cars and actually investigate. I have been told, if it doesn't directly concern you don't get involved. So that's it folks, turn a blind eye to wrong doing. Let the scum do as they please, don't bother the police, just put up with it. Serious criminals start out with petty crime, then they move on to the the harder crimes if they go unchallenged and punished. But that's ok, if it doesn't affect you, turn a blind eye. Just like the police.

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JuliaM says...
8:41am Fri 4 Jan 13

"...we’ve used a multi-agency approach... "

Translation: Like the rest of Essex Police, we're standing around with our thumbs up our arses. Anyone seen any lions?'

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Hannah Foster says...
10:19am Fri 4 Jan 13

JuliaM wrote:
"...we’ve used a multi-agency approach... "

Translation: Like the rest of Essex Police, we're standing around with our thumbs up our arses. Anyone seen any lions?'
Well said. I grew up with respect for the police. Having realised that they are as much use as a chocolate teapot unless they are being paid extra to police the football matches. Then they are everywhere!

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madmax1 says...
6:16pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Hannah Foster wrote:
There is more chance of the police heading up the high street for a chat with their mates and a MacDonald's than there is of them doing anything about small time drug dealing which causes a nuicesence to the people who have to put up with it day in day out. I have had reason to call the police a number of times over the last year to report domestic violence, anti social behaviour, shop lifting, drug issues. If they do turn out it's as much as they can do to be arsed to get out of their cars and actually investigate. I have been told, if it doesn't directly concern you don't get involved. So that's it folks, turn a blind eye to wrong doing. Let the scum do as they please, don't bother the police, just put up with it. Serious criminals start out with petty crime, then they move on to the the harder crimes if they go unchallenged and punished. But that's ok, if it doesn't affect you, turn a blind eye. Just like the police.
"There is more chance of the police heading up the high street for a chat with their mates and a MacDonald's"

Haha that's funny & true they are always in McDonalds when I walk past!

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stopmoaning1 says...
7:08pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Yeah, fancy police officers having to eat food just like everybody else

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Hannah Foster says...
8:38pm Fri 4 Jan 13

Of course they have to eat food. But I don't eat while I am at work despite doing a physical job. If they need to have a short break that's fair enough but logic would suggest that their supervising officer would tell them that they need to stagger their rest breaks. Then their presence would be felt on the streets, public confidence would be increased and they wouldn't give the impression of not giving a toss. If the entire active patrol force for the high street decide to converge in a single place and stuff their faces while cyclists are bombing down the pedestrian area, bag snatchers and shoplifters are stuffing their pockets and druggies are blowing their dope smoke in the faces of young children out with their families I would respectfully hope that the citizens of Southend ask questions.

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Hannah Foster says...
8:41pm Fri 4 Jan 13

It's just like nurses who shouldn't all clear off to lunch at the stroke of twelve leaving their patients to get on with it. These are public servants. What is wrong with the world?

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bazza 1 says...
11:29pm Fri 4 Jan 13

stopmoaning1 wrote:
Yeah, fancy police officers having to eat food just like everybody else
Of course they do, you numpty, but they all turn up together. In Basildon it,s the petrol station cafe at the Roundacre roundabout. They at least should vary their break times so they are not all off duty at the same time.

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DogsMessInLeigh says...
1:34pm Sat 5 Jan 13

They maybe having a spot of lunch on a short break somewhere but if a call goes out i bet they don't ignore it.

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Hannah Foster says...
3:55pm Sat 5 Jan 13

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
They maybe having a spot of lunch on a short break somewhere but if a call goes out i bet they don't ignore it.
I am sure they don't ignore a call over their radio to respond to an incident. The point I am making is the police are there to act as a deterrent and to be visible to the public. If they only think about responding to crime reports they will only ever serve as a too thinly spread reactive organisation. Would a military general let all his active troops gather in one spot while the invasion was coming in from all angles? No, of course not. If there are only two or three pairs of patrolling officers in the town don't have them all gathered in one spot, putting their feet up at the same time. It gives the impression of organised incompetence.

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stopmoaning1 says...
4:46pm Sat 5 Jan 13

great comments, who knows they are ALL on a break at the same time? And of course, they would respond to any call. If you want a moan, why not compain to the bafoons in Government who continue to cut police and every other public service budgets and therefore, numbers. By the way, well done to the hero who manages not to eat at work doing their physical job

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Hannah Foster says...
5:06pm Sat 5 Jan 13

stopmoaning1 wrote:
great comments, who knows they are ALL on a break at the same time? And of course, they would respond to any call. If you want a moan, why not compain to the bafoons in Government who continue to cut police and every other public service budgets and therefore, numbers. By the way, well done to the hero who manages not to eat at work doing their physical job
You are very spectacularly missing the point. The government are Of course responsible for police numbers. That does not detract from common sense being applied to the best use of resources. If a group of them are all in MacDonalds eating and chatting they are not on active duty are they? They are clearly having a break which of course they need to do. I would stand corrected if the town were awash with that many police that they could afford to have six of them out to lunch. My point, and I make it again is that it would be more sensible to take their brakes at different times thereby increasing the visible police presence elsewhere in the town. If a police officer is in full uniform they are on duty. That is why off duty officers are not supposed to be in full uniform. As government have decimated police numbers it makes it even more important that they use their human resources more cleverly. If you noticed am not criticising individuals here, more their organisation. Finally I didn't say that I don't eat at work, I said that I don't eat while on duty and when I do take a break I have to ensure that I stagger rest periods with my colleagues so that everything doesn't grind to a halt. So before you bite back understand what I am saying please.

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stopmoaning1 says...
5:19pm Sat 5 Jan 13

Ah yes, the POINT. Somebody in a block of flats has decided that charity bag thefts and drug dealing is going on near him. Lets drag those six officers out of the burger bars then

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Hannah Foster says...
7:24pm Sun 6 Jan 13

stopmoaning1 wrote:
Ah yes, the POINT. Somebody in a block of flats has decided that charity bag thefts and drug dealing is going on near him. Lets drag those six officers out of the burger bars then
Yes of course we should make sure that the few officers that we have are deployed more sensibly, by spreading them out a bit better over their patrolling area. Then it is likely that less of them will need to be dragged away from their lunch because their colleagues will still be hard a work. It's common sense. Lets see them using a bit more initiative. I live in an area that sees quite a lot of crimal behaviour and I have so many examples of utter incompetence from the police that I could write a book. I think I have one example of good, effective policing but only because I took my complaint to a senior officer. Then, when the case came to court the CPS mucked up so the whole thing was a waste of time anyway.

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asbo. just the truth says...
7:44pm Sun 6 Jan 13

Hannah Foster wrote:
stopmoaning1 wrote:
Ah yes, the POINT. Somebody in a block of flats has decided that charity bag thefts and drug dealing is going on near him. Lets drag those six officers out of the burger bars then
Yes of course we should make sure that the few officers that we have are deployed more sensibly, by spreading them out a bit better over their patrolling area. Then it is likely that less of them will need to be dragged away from their lunch because their colleagues will still be hard a work. It's common sense. Lets see them using a bit more initiative. I live in an area that sees quite a lot of crimal behaviour and I have so many examples of utter incompetence from the police that I could write a book. I think I have one example of good, effective policing but only because I took my complaint to a senior officer. Then, when the case came to court the CPS mucked up so the whole thing was a waste of time anyway.
ah i see you've graduated from putting the boot into the christians to kicking the excrement out of the local police force. whatever fills your test tube...

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stopmoaning1 says...
5:47pm Mon 7 Jan 13

But your logic would have them away for their patrolling areas back at the station for meals. Why not have six in a burger bar fo half an hour in their area ready to respond immediately rather than take turns in pairs to have half hour breaks at the station meaning for an hour and a half there will be only four in the area ready to respond rather than all six. Incidentally, I would bet rather large sums of money that of the six, four of them would be Blairs useless plastic policemen who have no powers anyway. Think of the same principal for you the nurses you mentioned too. Six of them having a break at the nurses station on a ward, all ready to respond to an emergency, or two at a time going off the ward for a break leaving only four for that period of time. Let's see the examples for your book than.

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