28 Arrests, 19 Vehicles Seized in Essex Police Crackdown Across Chelmsford and Brentwood

A targeted police operation across Chelmsford and Brentwood has resulted in 28 arrests and the seizure of 19 vehicles, Essex Police have confirmed, as officers stepped up evening patrols aimed at tackling driving offences and wider criminal activity.

The operation, led by Roads Policing teams, the Operational Support Group (OSG) and Intelligence officers, combined proactive stops with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles of interest during evening deployments.

Cocaine Find During Seatbelt Stop

The most serious incident occurred in Brentwood, where a driver stopped for not wearing a seatbelt was found to be carrying 20 wraps of cocaine. According to Essex Police, the man tested positive on a roadside drug swipe and attempted to flee, getting back into his car before officers used a taser to restrain him. He continued to resist before being handcuffed, and a later search in custody revealed the Class A drugs concealed in his underwear.

Scale of the Operation

In total, officers stopped 153 vehicles, including cars, motorbikes and mopeds. Of these, 19 cars and one e-bike were seized, and 48 tickets were issued for traffic offences.

Arrests during the operation included:

15 for drug driving
2 for failing to provide a specimen
1 for drink driving

Immigration checks were also carried out on 88 individuals as part of the operation, working in partnership with the Home Office and the Eastern Region Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit. These checks led to 11 arrests for immigration offences, seven of which were for overstaying.

Ongoing Effort Since March

Sergeant Dean Young, who leads the operation, said the initiative — running since March — is part of a sustained effort to improve road safety and prevent exploitation, including checks on delivery riders working in the gig economy.

"We're helping to keep the roads of Essex safe by arresting irresponsible drivers, seizing vehicles and cracking down on traffic offences," he said. "We've seen routine stops lead to arrests on suspicion of more serious crimes, and we've continued to check delivery riders to make sure they are on the road legally, have the right to work and aren't being taken advantage of."

He added that the partnership work with immigration officials would continue, and warned that anyone using Essex's road network to commit crime — or driving when they shouldn't be — had been put on notice.