Local News

Surrey Police is pleased to announce that Mark McEwan has been appointed as the next Deputy Chief Constable for Surrey. Mark is set to start in the coming weeks. Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Nev Kemp QPM is set to retire in October after 30 years of public service. Mark brings extensive experience in policing including more than 26 years serving in Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Metropolitan Police. Throughout his career, Mark has worked in a breadth of roles including community policing, counterterrorism, investigations, equality and diversity, crime prevention and change management. Speaking about his appointment and imminent move to Surrey, Mark said: “I'm excited to be joining a Force with a strong reputation and high calibre of officers, staff and volunteers, to deliver the best possible service to the communities of Surrey.” Chief Constable Tim De Meyer said: “Mark’s appointment to our Force as Deputy Chief Constable is fantastic news both for officers, staff and volunteers within the organisation, and Surrey's communities. I very much look forward to working alongside him."

On 10 September, after attending three separate emergency graded incident in the space of just under two hours, PC Campbell and PC Arrow were heading back to the station as it was close to their finish time. The driver of a vehicle was in too much of a hurry to notice the marked police vehicle at the roundabout on Green Lane, Chertsey/Addlestone and also travelling behind them. They were quickly pulled over where it was found that the driver did not hold a licence. They have been reported for the offence of driving without a licence and the company who owned the vehicle was notified. 

A prolific shoplifter who targeted shops in Runnymede has been granted a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) for two years. Nathan Patrick, 32, from Addlestone is a prolific shoplifter who has been targeting shops in Runnymede over the last year despite interventions such as community protection warnings, which he breached within a matter of weeks and months of them being issued. The order is in effect until 8 September 2027, and if Patrick does anything which he is prohibited from in the order, he is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment, or to a fine. Inspector Ian Nash, Runnymede Borough Commander said: “Patrick has caused a lot of distress to members of the public and business owners across the county. His behaviour will not be tolerated, which hopefully the outcome of this CBO highlights to our local communities. “I would like to thank the members of the public who responded to our media appeal earlier in the year as you helped us identify Nathan Patrick as the person we wanted to identify following a report of outraging public decency and criminal damage on a bus travelling from Woking to Addlestone. 

Two men have been charged following a burglary in Virginia Water on Monday, 15 September. Steven Gander, 50 (DOB 15/09/1975) of Chatham, has been charged with one count of burglary. Miley Todd, 33 (DOB 30/10/1991) of no fixed address, has been charged with one count of burglary, one count of possession of class B drugs and being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. Both men have been remanded and will appear at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday, 16 October.

Two men have been found guilty of murder following a fatal collision in Sunbury Cross in July 2024. Officers were called at 00.52am on Monday, 22 July 2024 to the exit slip road between the southbound carriageway of the A316 at the junction with the M3 and the Sunbury cross roundabout. Members of the public had discovered a black Talaria Sting e-bike and its two riders in the carriageway. It had been involved in a collision with another vehicle which had failed to stop. Both riders had catastrophic injuries. 21-year-old William Birchard died at the roadside, and 22-year-old Darren George died later that same day in hospital. A black pickup truck seen performing a U-turn and driving down the slip road towards Sunbury Cross roundabout shortly after the collision was soon identified as a black Ford Ranger Raptor registered to a local man. Its owner, Alex Rose, contacted police several hours later to report his truck stolen. This was a false report, and Rose subsequently pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. Rose, who had previously been a victim of burglary at his business premises, saw people moving around in the grounds of a college which backed onto his home on the night of 21 July, and believed they were a group of burglars. It is believed that Rose, along with his friend Charles Pardoe, mistook William and Darren for members of that group when their paths crossed in Sunbury. They pursued the e-bike they were riding in Rose’s Raptor to the Sunbury Cross roundabout, exceeding speeds of 60mph in a 30mph zone. They followed them the wrong way around the Sunbury Cross roundabout and onto the slip road before colliding with the bike and fleeing the scene. On 23 July officers tracked Rose to Birmingham airport, where he was about to board a one-way flight to Istanbul with his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs. The flight had been booked just hours before, they had a single carry-on bag between them containing a few items of clothing and more than £4000 in cash. Following a four-week trial at Guildford Crown Court the following verdicts were given on Wednesday, 10 September:

Alex Rose, 30, (03/04/1995), of Sunbury-upon-Thames, was found guilty of two counts of murder.

Charles Pardoe, 25, (11/12/1999), of Feltham, was also found guilty of two counts of murder.

Tara Knaggs, 25, (10/06/2000), of Great Ayton in Yorkshire, was found guilty of assisting an offender.

They are due to be sentenced on Monday, 22 September.

Tell him me and u got him. I’ll turn him into a boss."

"We need to get more yutes."

"Make him want to do it. keep asking bro, girls whatever bro, at least we make the doe."

- These are just some of the callous text messages between the three ringleaders of a county lines drugs network operating between Surrey, London, and Hampshire as they looked to exploit children to carry out their dirty work. An investigation began in September 2023 after a number of children from Surrey who were reported missing were located at addresses in London that were believed to be being used for supplying drugs. In November 2023, Mohammed Yousuf, 21, who had also been present at one of the addresses in London, was stopped in a vehicle in Surrey with a child who had been reported missing days before. Officers searched the vehicle and found more than £1000 in cash and a pot of Vaseline (which we don't believe was being used as a lip balm!) and he was swiftly arrested for drug supply offences. Released on bail while the investigation was ongoing, a review of Yousuf's phone revealed a huge volume of messages related to drug supply and conspiring with others to recruit children to help facilitate their drug dealings. During dawn raids on 7 March, 2024, Ahmed Al Khudairy, 21, (DOB: 29/12/2003) of Kingston and Edward Atudorei, 19, (DOB: 25/09/2005) of Sutton were arrested, charged and remanded for a number of offences, including arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs. Later that day, Mohammed Yousuf, 21, (DOB: 27/10/2003) of Kingston was also arrested, charged, and remanded for the same offences. A few days later, on 12 March 2024, Ronnie Read, 24, (DOB: 30/01/2001) of Thames Ditton was arrested for concern of drugs supply, followed by Ali Cayir, 23 (DOB: 19/10/2001) of Thames Ditton when a warrant was carried out at his address on 12 June, 2024.

Our Rural Crime Team have had several reports recently about seals resting along The River Thames and members of the public approaching and disturbing them. Seals are an iconic part of the Thames and our wider UK coastline, but they are increasingly vulnerable to disturbance from human activity. PC James Wright, from the Rural Crime and Wildlife Unit said: “These wild animals simply want to rest, feed, and live peacefully in their natural environment. Yet sadly, their presence is too often met with hostility. Repeated disturbances cause significant stress, and in some cases, there have even been threats made against seals. “We monitor situations where wildlife is at risk. If you’re lucky enough to see a seal, make sure you give them space. If a seal can see, hear, or smell you, you are too close.”

If you spot a seal being harmed, please contact 999.

Following an incident in Ashford on 10 September, Barry Howard, 34 (DOB 03/07/1991), from Ashford, has been charged with one count of wounding with intent and one count of racially aggravated harassment. Edward Howard, 74 (DOB 02/10/1950) from Ashford, has been charged with one count of wounding with intent. They have both been bailed and are next due at Guildford Crown Court on Monday 13 October.

Four men have been arrested following a burglary in Ashford on Monday 1 September. Shortly after 8am we received a report that four men had entered the store on Church Road and stole a large quantity of tobacco from the shelves. One of the men threatened a shop worker with a knife. The victim was left shaken but uninjured. Following extensive enquiries led by our Criminal Investigation Team, on Sunday (6 September), four men aged 28, 30, 42 and 62 were arrested on suspicion of burglary. They have been released on conditional bail while we continue our enquiries. Borough Commander Inspector Matt Walton said: “This criminal behaviour is not tolerated in Spelthorne and when we receive reports of violent or threatening activity, we will take swift action to identify the suspects”. 

A man has been charged following a report of driving offences in the Two Rivers Retail Park on Wednesday, 16 July. Jay Peters, 23, (21/02/2002), of Guildford, was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He has been remanded ahead of trial in January.

Last week our Chief Constable, Tim De Meyer, had the pleasure of hosting the second annual Surrey Police Gala, presenting awards for a range of categories that showcase the excellence of our officers, staff, and volunteers. From our unsung hero award winner DC Jennifer Leighton whose work contributed to a 20-year conviction for murder, to our volunteer of the year Ray Butten who is a constant source of help and positivity, and our police community support officer of the year Lisa Cobby who administered life-saving CPR twice over the past year, these people selflessly perform to the highest of standards to protect our communities, catch criminals and deliver outstanding service to victims and witnesses of crime. A huge congratulations to every one of our winners on their achievements.

We want to make sure our service is as accessible as possible for everyone. We offer a number of tools, including our Textphone service and the Pegasus scheme, to help people who may find it hard to communicate with us:

Textphone - for those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired, communication is easy with our Textphone 18000 or the Relay UK app for 999 emergency texts (you must register your mobile phone first). 

Pegasus Scheme – if you have speech or communication challenges the Pegasus card scheme streamlines the help you receive in urgent situations. If you call us, you then just need to say ‘Pegasus’ and tell us the PIN you were issued at sign up. With that, we can access your information and help you quickly. You can also show your Pegasus card to a police officer should you require assistance in person.

If you’re in danger but not able to speak, call 999 and press 55 to let the operator know the call is live and hasn’t been made by mistake. You may be asked to cough or tap the keys on your phone to answer questions. Try and stay on the line for as long as possible. Calls from mobiles are not linked to an address (like with landlines) and only show a general location. It is always best to speak to the operator if you can, and it is safe to do so, even if you can only whisper. We know that dialling 999 can be very stressful, remember to take a breath, collect your thoughts and listen to instructions carefully so we can get help to you as quickly as possible. Please share this message with anyone who you think this may help.