Robber tries to stab policeman in Westcliff armed robbery attempt (From Halstead Gazette)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting HG to 80360, or email us Click here for more details »
Robber tries to stab policeman in Westcliff armed robbery attempt
8:20am Monday 3rd September 2012 in News By Jon Austin
A MAN who tried to stab a police officer during a botched robbery is on the loose.
The robber brandishing a kitchen knife rushed into Dolly's Newsagents in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, at 9.17pm on Friday before threatening an employee.
But two customers managed to get out of the shop unseen and flagged down a passing police car.
As two police officers entered the shop the robber ran towards then brandishing the knife and attempted to stab one of the officers.
Both officers aimed CS spray at the robber’s face which was mostly covered with a black ski mask. The man fled towards Prittlewell Brook near to the junction with Westbourne Grove.
A widespread search of the area was carried out by numerous police units and the Essex Police helicopter but there was no sign of the suspect.
Full story in Monday's Echo.
Comments(26)
Rich'Carol
says...
1:45pm Sat 1 Sep 12
pendulum
says...
1:57pm Sat 1 Sep 12
Keptquiettillnow
says...
1:58pm Sat 1 Sep 12
Soouthchurch59
says...
4:57pm Sat 1 Sep 12
alex595
says...
6:24pm Sat 1 Sep 12
tatersalad
says...
6:35pm Sat 1 Sep 12
SpaffSpiff84
says...
11:36pm Sat 1 Sep 12
Call me Carl
says...
11:51pm Sat 1 Sep 12
I remember when Westcliff was nice. We've always had an immigrants here, since I can remember, but there's some vicious sorts roaming around since all that EU nonsense started up.
C
soul man
says...
5:41am Sun 2 Sep 12
Call me Carl wrote:this is i'm afraid a sign of the time times, yes westcliff was a nice area 30 yrs ago ,but as you say the eu influx has decimated all areas, plus our own youth have no jobs, desperate times create desperate events for that type of person i'm sorry to say, the eu folk need repatriation, and our youth need a job for this sort of thing to ease, as for the perp, wait till they catch him, he's got big prison time coming for the attempted stabbing of plod, and i bet they do catch him, when its their own they pull out all the stops
I feel sorry for the poor robber in this case mainly. The police don't solve crime so much as protect property nowadays. If this was another kid being sideswipped or shanked no-one would care buy because it's a copper people are up in arms. Old ladies are being robbed. The bigger picture is poverty. This tyrannous government and disgustingly opaque feaudal capitalism we endure makes victims of us all, with Barling councillors and rich swines far removed from it all.
I remember when Westcliff was nice. We've always had an immigrants here, since I can remember, but there's some vicious sorts roaming around since all that EU nonsense started up.
C
Brunning999
says...
7:23am Sun 2 Sep 12
Two Police Officers both have truncheons why no arrest?
We're the Policeman overweight, unfit,or did health and safety play a part,either way why no arrest?
JuliaM
says...
10:03am Sun 2 Sep 12
Rich'Carol wrote:Did you not read? It clearly states: "Both officers aimed CS spray at the robber’s face which was mostly covered with a black ski mask."
WHY were the police assing about, why didnt they stun or use pepper spray on the ****.hole . Ive seen them on tv bullying people by peppering a drunk or some who is swearing and someone who wont get into the police van, so why not on a serious matter deal with this better. Come on coppers, stop assing about.
And it's sad (but an indication of how low public confidence in the police has sunk) that - when they actually DO THEIR JOB, rather than prancing about valuing diversity or running awareness campaigns - there's still no support for them, only contempt and cynicism...
jantone
says...
10:57am Sun 2 Sep 12
Brunning999
says...
4:07pm Sun 2 Sep 12
JuliaM wrote:More astonishment that they were close enough to spray into the face, and did not use a truncheon or whatever they are called now.
Rich'Carol wrote:Did you not read? It clearly states: "Both officers aimed CS spray at the robber’s face which was mostly covered with a black ski mask."
WHY were the police assing about, why didnt they stun or use pepper spray on the ****.hole . Ive seen them on tv bullying people by peppering a drunk or some who is swearing and someone who wont get into the police van, so why not on a serious matter deal with this better. Come on coppers, stop assing about.
And it's sad (but an indication of how low public confidence in the police has sunk) that - when they actually DO THEIR JOB, rather than prancing about valuing diversity or running awareness campaigns - there's still no support for them, only contempt and cynicism...
Even the fact he ran off surely the Policeman had legs?
the kracken
says...
4:32pm Sun 2 Sep 12
What use is the kind of subhuman who robs a newsagent and threatens a police officer with a knife anyway?. They are not a productive members of society and will cost taxpayers a huge amount to keep them locked up and then pay them benefits perhaps for a drug habit. The coalition talk about people 'sharing the pain'. Well I see precious little pain being dealt to our criminal classes. Perhaps shooting a few dead , might also make others like them give crime a second thought.
2012_Jimbob
says...
10:00pm Sun 2 Sep 12
I would imagine the reason the robber got away is because the police officers may have been slightly preoccupied with the fact they had almost been stabbed and that they had nothing to adequately deal with a knife man.
From my time in the paras cs spray works on about 80 per cent of the population. It doesn't always work with instant effect and sometimes not at all. In this instance if it was sprayed at the face and the robber removed their face covering quickly after the exposure then it is unlikely to have had any great effect,
The range of a police baton is the length of the officers arm plus the length of the baton. Would you really want to put yourself in such close proximity to a knife. I know I wouldn't. Police officers are paid to do a number of things but they are not paid enough to die at the hands of some armed crack head robber.
Nebs
says...
10:21am Mon 3 Sep 12
j-w
says...
11:12am Mon 3 Sep 12
sorry but keystone cops spring to mind!
I bet if the shop assistant had picked the knife up the robber would have legged it.
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=ihIFAuJP6
JM&feature=youtu.be
j-w
says...
11:14am Mon 3 Sep 12
The Real Haze
says...
6:54pm Mon 3 Sep 12
SpaffSpiff84 wrote:Very good!
Lets see how big this fella is when he gets a hefty 2 month suspended-sentance
The Real Haze
says...
6:57pm Mon 3 Sep 12
Nebs wrote:Great idea. You should patent that pretty quickly!
How about a mixture of CS spray and glow-in-the-dark paint, to be used in situations like this by the night shift. It might make finding villains like this a bit easier.
Soouthchurch59
says...
7:20pm Mon 3 Sep 12
angryofessex wrote:Who unmuzzled the moron!
Call me Carl says...
11:51pm Sat 1 Sep 12
The last time I had the misfortune to visit Westcliff it was heaving with Africans, didn’t realise Africa was part of the EU.
angryofessex
says...
8:05am Tue 4 Sep 12
Soouthchurch59 wrote:I presume you, like Carl feel sorry for the poor robber who is obviously a victim of our society and blame the decline of Southend / Westcliff on “that EU nonsense”. The problem has a lot to do with sh*t rented accommodation provided by dodgy landlords in the area. Never mind, it can only get worse.
angryofessex wrote: Call me Carl says... 11:51pm Sat 1 Sep 12 The last time I had the misfortune to visit Westcliff it was heaving with Africans, didn’t realise Africa was part of the EU.Who unmuzzled the moron!
Soouthchurch59
says...
9:04am Tue 4 Sep 12
angryofessex wrote:No, I feel sorry for people like yourself who try to attribute every crime to *anyone* with a darker skin - even when the photographic evidence suggests otherwise.
Soouthchurch59 wrote:I presume you, like Carl feel sorry for the poor robber who is obviously a victim of our society and blame the decline of Southend / Westcliff on “that EU nonsense”. The problem has a lot to do with sh*t rented accommodation provided by dodgy landlords in the area. Never mind, it can only get worse.
angryofessex wrote: Call me Carl says... 11:51pm Sat 1 Sep 12 The last time I had the misfortune to visit Westcliff it was heaving with Africans, didn’t realise Africa was part of the EU.Who unmuzzled the moron!
I refer you again to Horace Wimpole's answer.....
whataday
says...
5:20pm Tue 4 Sep 12
2012_Jimbob wrote:Well said Our police have to put up with and do all sorts of horrendous things with nop back up and gross under-staffing. Then some twerp of a judge lets the criminals off with a "don't do it again you poor little thing" when you can bet the criminal has at least 50 previouses
Someone robs a shop. Police arrive with cs spray and a stick. Robber pulls out knife and tries to stab officer. Robber gets away.
I would imagine the reason the robber got away is because the police officers may have been slightly preoccupied with the fact they had almost been stabbed and that they had nothing to adequately deal with a knife man.
From my time in the paras cs spray works on about 80 per cent of the population. It doesn't always work with instant effect and sometimes not at all. In this instance if it was sprayed at the face and the robber removed their face covering quickly after the exposure then it is unlikely to have had any great effect,
The range of a police baton is the length of the officers arm plus the length of the baton. Would you really want to put yourself in such close proximity to a knife. I know I wouldn't. Police officers are paid to do a number of things but they are not paid enough to die at the hands of some armed crack head robber.
bignosechaff
says...
10:03pm Wed 5 Sep 12
al coniston says...
11:51am Sat 1 Sep 12
that's a bit unnecessary