ONGAR: Police are watching the burglars
Sgt Rob Huddleston leads the six-strong team and during Sunday's night shift he told the Gazette: "The team has been set up in Epping Forest district on a three-month trial basis.
"Our primary targets are burglars and those making off without payment.
"Crime in general is low, but we are coming up with new ways of making sure it stays low."
The new team forms part of an Essex-wide clampdown on burglary that started last October when Operation Hornet was launched.
Stopping potentially suspect cars is a key way of tracking criminals and on an earlier shift the team stopped a tractor being driven through Ongar at 4am.
"It turned out it was the farmer driving," said Sgt Huddleston. "But at that time there was a strong chance it could have been stolen."
His main focus as night fell on Sunday was Ford Fiestas – a favourite of so-called Millennium burglars who break into houses to steal car keys.
He explained why these relatively cheap cars are so highly sought-after at the moment.
"They are worth about £3,000 if they are sold on, but thieves can get up to £6,000 if they sell them for parts."
Sgt Huddleston believes that drivers wanting to repair a crashed car without having to claim on their insurance will scour the web for deals on parts, giving the thieves an ideal outlet to sell their stolen wares.
He said: "You could sell a set of alloy wheels for a fair price over the internet and there is a great demand because so many people are driving Fiestas."
An 18-year-old driver of a high-end Fiesta was stopped by Sgt Huddleston and colleague PC Kerrie Katinas.
The driver revealed it was the second time he had been asked for his details that day.
Operation Hornet was launched in the wake of a summer crime spike in Ongar that saw burglaries rise by 35 per cent compared to the previous year.
Since then 670 potential burglars have been arrested, 140 charged and £900,000 worth of stolen property recovered.
The force has identified 150 prolific offenders who are thought to be responsible for the majority of crime in the county – including six in Epping Forest – and they are being constantly monitored.
Neighbourhood teams in Ongar are door-knocking these persistent offenders on a daily basis.
These are people who have been through the criminal justice system but failed to reform.
Sgt Huddleston said: "They are visiting them at anti-social hours throughout the day and seeing what they are doing and where they are.
"They can be visited two or three, even four, times in one day."
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