THREE men have been arrested after reports two suspects had attempted to steal a car in broad daylight in a Basildon street.

Officers received reports of the attempted theft in Clickett Hill at 5.35pm on Monday, before the two suspects fled the scene in another car believed to be stolen.

This car was identified by Essex Police officers and was tracked as moving in a convoy with third car, also believed to be stolen. The suspects were traced to an address in Long Riding.

Three police units, including the dog unit, surrounded the property and arrested three men, a 32-year-old man from Basildon, a 30-year-old of no fixed abode, and a 17-year-old boy, on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.

Patrols - An officer speaks to a driver stopped by the roads policing team on MondayPatrols - An officer speaks to a driver stopped by the roads policing team on Monday (Image: Essex Police)

The key for one of the stolen vehicles was found in the property and has been recovered by officers.

 

Also elsewhere in south Essex that same day, a 40-year-old man from Canvey was arrested after failing to appear at court charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place.

 

He has now been remanded in custody pending a future court date.

As well as the day’s arrests, police attended three community events, carried out five weapons sweeps of the county's open spaces and recovered a knife.

Officers also stopped 56 vehicles, seizing four vehicles for having no insurance, and carried out 131 speed checks.

Superintendent Phil Stinger said: “Our officers are always hard at work – that work covers a huge range of responsibilities as yesterday shows.

“We’re able to find and detain suspects like we did thanks to the law-abiding majority supporting our work, whether that’s through sharing what they’ve seen in our communities or following the rules of the road.”