Firearms officers from our Force Support Unit, together with officers from our Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the Dog Section and Police Search Team this morning, Monday 23 May, executed search warrants in Laindon and Westcliff.
During searches of two properties, and a car at one of the addresses, officers seized a firearm, suspected Class A drugs, large bags of vacuum-packed cannabis bud, several thousands of pounds in cash and drugs paraphernalia.
The man, aged 34, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Section 1 firearm without a certificate.
Our inquiries are ongoing.
Detective Sergeant James Rafiq, of SOCU says: “Our main priority is keeping our communities safe from harm and tackling criminal activity in all its forms.”
A firearms amnesty is running until 5pm on Sunday 29 May to allow people to surrender any unwanted or unlicensed firearms and ammunition to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands.
The public are encouraged to hand in unwanted firearms, ammunition, imitation firearms and air or gas-powered weapons to one of eight police stations:
Basildon
Braintree
Chelmsford
Clacton
Colchester
Grays
Harlow
Southend
During the amnesty, anyone surrendering firearms will not face prosecution for illegal possession. They can also choose to remain anonymous when handing the items in.
The history of each weapon, however, will be checked to determine whether it has been linked to any crimes
Do you have information for us?
We couldn’t do these warrants without your help – if you believe someone is involved in criminal activity, please report it to us.
We won’t tolerate people exploiting vulnerable people in our communities.
If it’s a crime in progress, always ring 999.
