Essex Police officer dies in road collision while responding to emergency
An Essex Police officer has died following a collision on the A12.
The officer, who was riding a police motorcycle, was responding to an emergency at the time of the collision, which took place on the stretch of road near Ingatestone at around 12.25pm on Wednesday (November 19).
Essex Police said the officer died at the scene and at this stage it does not believe any other vehicle was involved.
The road was closed for a significant amount of time while specialist officers responded and investigated at the scene.
Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington said: “My thoughts and prayers, and those of the entire Essex Police family, are with the officer’s family and friends.
“I want to pay tribute to our professional and courageous colleague. He was a dedicated professional who died doing his job – protecting and serving the people of Essex. I will always be grateful for his service.
“We are supporting the officer’s colleagues and his family at this extremely difficult time.
“I would ask that people do not speculate about the collision and the circumstances around it. Please let our experienced and professional investigators carry out their work.
“I also want to thank the public who were affected by the collision for their patience, understanding, and cooperation with officers and our emergency service colleagues who responded to the collision.”
Steve Martin, chair of Essex Police Federation, said: “This is heartbreaking news and the thoughts of all officers are with our colleague’s family, friends and close colleagues at this time.
“Policing is a profession that comes with risk every day and this incident is a saddening example of the dangers we face on duty.
“If any officers need any assistance then they should contact the Federation and we will support them as best we can.”
Roger Hirst, police, fire and crime commissioner for Essex, said: “This is a tragic, terrible incident in which the life of a valued and respected officer has been lost.
“We pay tribute to this officer who was carrying out his duties keeping Essex people safe and secure. Our thoughts go out to his family, friends and colleagues.”